Announcements for Past Winners of the Ernest W. Thiele Award

Dr. Fouad Teymour; 2022 Ernest W. Thiele Award Recipient

Congratulations to Dr. Fouad Teymour, Professor at Illinois Tech, for being awarded the 2022 Ernest W. Thiele award! Prof. Teymour is awarded the 2022 Ernest W. Thiele Award for his leadership in polymer reaction engineering, nonlinear dynamics, and mathematical modeling.  He is the Johnson Polymer professor of chemical engineering at Illinois Tech and the director of the Center for Complex Systems and Dynamics.  Prof. Teymour is an educator and researcher with over forty years experience in academia, in addition to some industrial engineering practice.  He is also a playwright whose works have been produced at Chicagoland theaters. The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by bp, and consists of a plaque and a $1,000 honorarium. Please join us in congratulating Prof. Fouad Teymour on his achievement. This prestigious award will be presented at the May meeting.

Dr. Edward Maginn; 2021 Ernest W. Thiele Award Recipient

Congratulations to Dr. Edward Maginn, Professor at the University of Notre Dame for being awarded the 2021 Ernest W. Thiele award!  Dr. Maginn is awarded the 2021 Ernest Thiele Award for his leadership in computational molecular modeling and its application toward new technologies involving charged fluids, as well as for creation of the open-source Monte Carlo package Cassandra.  The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by bp, and consists of a plaque and a $1,000 honorarium. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Edward Maginn on his achievement. This prestigious award will be presented at the May meeting. 

Dennis O'Brien WINS THE 2020 ERNEST W. THIELE AWARD

The winner of this year’s Ernest W. Thiele Award sponsored by BP is Dennis O’Brien. He has demonstrated throughout his long career the ability to innovate, conduct original research, and contribute to the chemical engineering profession at both the local and national levels. Mr. O’Brien has been responsible for many process design improvements, including development, design and commercialization of divided wall column technology. He was the first process engineer to put this in practice for UOP Detergent Alkylation Process. Dennis started working at UOP more than 40 years ago. In collaboration with research and development and technical services, improvements in the design were introduced by him frequently. The capital and operating costs were reduced while the yields increased. His greatest contribution is in the area of Detergent Alkylation for the production of Linear alkyl benzene (LAB), a raw material for biodegradable household detergent and for the propane/isobutene dehydrogenation UOP Oleflex® process, which has resulted in a number of patents to his credit. Development of solid bed detergent alkylation required to remove heavy aromatics from the feed which was accomplished by a molecular sieve adsorption. The first commercial design required two fractionation columns. By working with other senior engineers and technical service, a unique divided wall column design eliminated one column and cut the utilities in half. This design won a prize for innovative engineering from ICHEME. It has become the standard for design of detergent alkylation complexes licensed by UOP. Mr. O’Brien holds 18 US patents and is author of several publications. He has served as Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice chair, Chair, Past Chair for the Fuels and Petrochemical Division of AIChE. He has also served on several committees for STEM, both in Chicago and nationally. Dennis is a volunteer at Engineers Without Borders, Chicago Chapter as well as in the UIC and IIT Chemical Engineering Departments

PROFESSOR LINDA BROADBELT WINS THE 2019 ERNEST W. THIELE AWARD

Congratulations to Professor Linda J. Broadbelt for being awarded the 2019-2020 Ernest W. Thiele award! This prestigious award will be presented to Professor Broadbelt at an upcoming meeting of the Chicago AIChE Section. Professor Broadbelt is awarded the 2019-2020 Ernest Thiele Award for her distinguished contributions to the field of complex kinetic modeling, particularly for the development of automated mechanism generation and mechanistic models applied to diverse chemistries. The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium. Please join us in congratulating Professor Broadbelt on her achievement at an upcoming 2020 Chicago Section AIChE meeting to be announced.

PROFESSOR DON CHMIELEWSKI WINS THE 2018 ERNEST W. THIELE AWARD

Congratulations to Professor Donald Chmielewski for being awarded the 2018-2019 Ernest W. Thiele award! This prestigious award will be presented to Professor Chmielewski at an upcoming meeting of the Chicago AIChE Section. Don is awarded the 2018-2019 Ernest Thiele Award for his advances to the theory of control system design and service to our profession through mentorship, education and leadership. Don has provided leadership for many years to our Midwest Regional Conference AIChE meetings and as the faculty advisor to the IIT student chapter of AIChE. The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium. Please join us in congratulating Professor Chmielewski on his  chievement at an upcoming 2019 Chicago Section AIChE meeting to be announced.

MR. DOUG NAFIS WINS THE 2017 ERNEST W. THIELE AWARD

Congratulations to Mr. Doug Nafis, Principal Engineer Honeywell UOP for being awarded the 2017 Ernest W. Thiele award! This prestigious award will be presented to Mr. Nafis at an upcoming meeting of the Chicago AIChE Section. Mr. Nafis is awarded the 2017 Ernest Thiele Award for his significant innovation and development in refining and petrochemical process research in the field of chemical engineering, mentoring younger engineers, and promotion of STEM with students through the program “You be the Chemist” that has blossomed into 37 states’ activities for middle and high school students. The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP, and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Doug Nafis on his achievement May 17 at Ashton Place in Willowbrook.

PROFESSOR SATISH PARULEKAR WINS THE 2016 ERNEST W. THIELE AWARD

PROFESSOR RANDY SNURR WINS THE 2015 ERNEST W. THIELE AWARD

Congratulations to Professor Randall (Randy) Snurr, John G. Searle Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University for being awarded the 2015 Ernest W. Thiele award! This prestigious award will be presented to Professor Snurr at a meeting of the Chicago AIChE section in the coming months. Professor Snurr is awarded the 2015 Ernest Thiele Award for his leadership and creativity in advancing the application of nanoporous metal-organic frameworks in gas separations, gas storage, and showing the power of molecular simulation to design new absorbents. His research brings together two important threads in Chemical Engineering today: first, the exploding computational power available for solving technological problems that society faces and second, the increasing need for materials custom designed for specialized applications. The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP, and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium. Please join us in congratulating Professor Randy Snurr on his achievement. Professor Snurr will be accepting his Thiele Award at the April Monthly Meeting.

Alan Zagoria Wins the 2014 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Alan Zagoria, Engineering Fellow at UOP for being awarded the 2014 Ernest W. Thiele award! This prestigious award will be presented to Alan Zagoria at a meeting of the Chicago AIChE section in the coming months. Alan Zagoria is awarded the 2014 Ernest Thiele Award for his leadership and creativity in hydrogen technology in refining and other areas. Alan Zagoria is well known for his contributions to the practice of Chemical Engineering through his innovative implementation of methods to improve the efficiency, profitability and effectiveness of hydrogen utilization in refineries, petrochemical and gas plants, steel mills, and water treatment plants.

He is also recognized as a leader in the AIChE, particularly in his outreach to encourage high school and university students to pursue engineering careers, and in his work with Engineers Without Borders. Alan is currently an Engineering Fellow in the Optimization Services Group where he leads refinery configuration studies, utilizing LP models, financial analysis, and UOP process models to advise customers on how to maximize the profitability of refinery projects.

Alan’s status as UOP Fellow recognizes not only his significant technical contributions but also his role in mentoring others. 

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP, and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium. Please join us in congratulating Alan Zagoria on his achievement.

Richard Hoehn  Wins the 2012 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Richard (Dick) Hoehn, Senior Engineering Fellow at UOP for being awarded the 2012 Ernest W. Thiele award! This prestigious award will be presented to Dick Hoehn at the March 13, 2013 meeting of the Chicago AIChE section at the March meeting location at Abbott Laboratories. Dick Hoehn is awarded the 2012 Ernest Thiele Award for his leadership and creativity in hydroprocessing technology. His contributions have resulted in improving the yields, efficiency, safety and reliability of this critical process for clean fuels. He is also presented this award for his years of mentoring and training that have resulted in better-trained design engineers and ultimately better processes for hydroprocessing.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP, and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium. Please join us in congratulating Dick Hoehn on his achievement.

Urmila Diwekar Wins the 2011 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Dr.Urmila Diwekar, President and Founder of the Vishwamitra Research Institute for being awarded the 2011 Ernest W. Thiele award! This prestigious award was presented to Dr. Diwekar at the November 10, 2011 meeting of the Chicago AIChE section at the University of Illinois Chicago meeting location following the AIChE Midwest Regional Conference. Dr. Diwekar is recognized for leading the development of uncertainty analysis in processes. She is also an adjunct professor of biochemical and chemical engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is also the founder of the Vishwamitra Research Institute.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP, and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Urmila Diwekar on her achievement.

J. Peter Clark Wins the 2010 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Dr. J. Peter Clark, Consultant to the Food and Beverage Industry for being awarded the 2010 Ernest W. Thiele award!

This prestigious award will be presented to Dr. Clark at the September 15, 2010 meeting of the Chicago AIChE section at the Emmett’s Brewing Company meeting location. Dr. Clark is recognized for leading the development of numerous food products ad new food preparation processes. He is an exemplary mentor and teacher for the chemical engineering profession.

He has had an outstanding record of accomplishments with over forty years of experience as an engineering executive in the food and related industries. Dr. Clark is an expert in sanitary design, food safety, and technology assessment, due diligence economic evaluation, process development and engineering leadership. Peter has authored or co-authored over forty papers, six books and one patent.

Dr. Clark received his B.S. Ch.E. at the Notre Dame and his PhD at UC Berkeley.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP, and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium.

Please join us in congratulating J. Peter Clark on his achievement.

Dr. Harold H. Kung Wins the 2009 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Dr. Harold Kung, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Center for Energy Efficient Transportation at Northwestern University for being awarded the 2009 Ernest W. Thiele award!

This prestigious award will be presented to Dr. Kung at the October 6, 2009 meeting of the Chicago AIChE section at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Professor Kung is recognized for his seminal contributions to the fundamental understanding of catalytic phenomena, innovative design of novel catalytic structures, and leadership in the teaching of sustainability.

He has had an outstanding record of accomplishments demonstrated by his leading contributions in various areas of heterogeneous catalysis, elucidating the relationship between surface atomic structures and an oxide and its chemical and catalytic properties. Dr. Kung also serves the scientific community by offering his view on sustainability to the students at Northwestern. His course on Sustainability, Technology and Society emphasizes the interaction among technology, human behavior, policy and business strategy and practice.

Dr. Kung received his B.S. Ch.E. at the Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, and his PhD at Northwestern.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP, and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium.

Please join us in congratulating Professor Harold Kung on his achievement.

Dr. Robert Lyczkowski Wins the 2008 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Lyczkowski, Chemical Engineer at Argonne for being awarded the 2008 Ernest W. Thiele award!

This prestigious award will be presented to Dr. Lyczkowski at the September 22nd meeting of the Chicago AIChE section at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Lyczkowski is recognized for his innovative application of multiphase theory and computational fluid dynamics in the areas of nuclear, fossil and biochemical engineering.

He has had an outstanding record of accomplishments demonstrated by patents and over 125 publications.

In our field of chemical engineering, his contributions have lead to better understanding of fluid dynamics. Dr. Lyczkowski has served in many academic roles at IIT as a teacher, advisor and on thesis committees in the Chemical Engineering Department. He has also served our professional society by presenting short courses, seminars, and chaired numerous conferences at AIChE meetings.

Dr. Lyczkowski received his B.S. Ch. E. at the Cleveland State University, and his MS and PhD at IIT.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP, and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Robert Lyczkowski on his achievement.

Mr. Lynn Rice Wins the 2007 Ernest W. Thiele Award

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Chicago Section has named UOP’s Lynn Rice the winner of the 2007 Ernest W. Thiele Award. This prestigious award is given annually to one Midwest AIChE member who has made outstanding contributions in the practice of Chemical Engineering.

Rice, a UOP senior engineering fellow, was recognized for his rich 37-year career, working as a principle innovator in the area of the petroleum refining process of isomerization. His numerous contributions have also led to a better understanding of gas-solid handling under reaction conditions, developing and maintaining engineering design tools and guidelines for the isomerization process.

Rice is active with AIChE and currently serves as a Director of the Fuels & Petrochemical Division of AIChE.

Rice received a B.S. Ch.E. at the University of Alabama (graduating Tau Beta Pi) and a M.S. Ch.E. at the University of Colorado. He also has 15 US patents and 40 foreign patents.

Professor Dimitri Gidaspow Wins the 2005 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Professor Dimitri Gidaspow, Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, for being awarded the 2005 Ernest W. Thiele award.

Dr. Gidaspow is recognized for his fundamental contributions to computational fluid dynamics, multi-phase flow, and fluidized bed systems. Professor Gidaspow has helped to establish a new paradigm in fluidization. Dr. Ernest Thiele was the first to understand mass transfer in catalysts and has been honored by naming the dimensionless group, the Thiele modulus, after him. Professor Gidaspow has continued this research and has for the first time understood turbulent flow of such catalysts. Dr. Gidaspow is also recognized as an effective educator for generations of students and administrator.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP, and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium.

Please join us in congratulating Professor Gidaspow on his achievement.

Dr. Ted M. Knowlton Wins the 2004 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Dr. Ted Knowlton, Technical Director of the Particulate Solids Research Institute, for being awarded the 2004 Ernest W. Thiele award.

Dr. Knowlton is recognized for his fundamental contributions to the phenomena of particulate solids behavior and fluidization fields of Chemical Engineering. Dr. Knowlton, with worldwide recognition in the particulate solids area, has won this award for his leadership of the Particulate Solids Research Institute (PSRI) and earlier, the Fluidization Research and Consulting Group of the Institute of Gas Technology (IGT).

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP, and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Ted Knowlton on his achievement.

Professor Ali Cinar Wins the 2003 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Professor Ali Cinar, Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College at Illinois Institute of Technology for being the recipient of the 2003 Ernest W. Thiele award.

Dr. Cinar is recognized for his significant research contributions in process modeling, monitoring and control, and for being an outstanding educator. Professor Cinar has championed the use of computers and statistics across the engineering curriculum at IIT.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium.

Please join us in congratulating Professor Ali Cinar on his achievement.

Professor Julio Ottino Wins the 2002 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Professor Julio Ottino, R.R. McCormick Institute Professor of the Chemical Engineering Department of Northwestern University for being the recipient of the 2002 Ernest W. Thiele award.

Dr. Ottino is recognized for his seminal research in the areas of chaos and mixing of liquids and solids and for his outstanding contributions as an educator, academic leader and mentor. Dr. Ottino has also led the Chemical Engineering department at Northwestern and has brought new and exciting programs to the chemical engineering curriculum.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium.

Please join us in congratulating Professor Julio Ottino on his achievement.

Mr. Paul Sechrist Wins The 2001 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Paul Sechrist, Manager of Physical and Computational Modeling at UOP, for being awarded the 2001 Ernest W. Thiele award.

Mr. Sechrist is recognized for his fundamental contributions to the field of Chemical Engineering. Mr. Sechrist has won this award for his improvements in understanding gas-solid, and gas-liquid-solid dynamics under reaction conditions, use of computational fluid mechanics, as well as advances in continuous catalyst regeneration and FCC modeling.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium.

Please join us in congratulating Mr. Paul Sechrist on his achievement.

Dr. Henry Linden Wins the 2000 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Dr. Henry Linden, the Max McGraw Professor of Energy, Power Engineering, and Management at Illinois Institute of Technology for being awarded the 2000 Ernest W. Thiele award.

Dr. Linden is recognized for his internationally acclaimed contributions to the field of Chemical Engineering. Dr. Linden has won this award for his leadership at the Illinois Institute of Technology, as an advisor on energy policy to the US DOE, as a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the British Institute of Energy, and as a fellow of our own AIChE.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by BP Amoco and consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Henry Linden on his achievement.

Professor S. George Bankoff Wins The 1999 Ernest W. Thiele Award

Congratulations to Professor S. George Bankoff, the Walter P. Murphy Professor (Emeritus) of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering at Northwestern University for being awarded the 1999 Ernest W. Thiele award.

Professor Bankoff is being recognized for his internationally acclaimed contributions to the field of Chemical Engineering. George Bankoff’s fundamental understanding of heat transfer and the application of these insights to nuclear and chemical engineering has won him many awards and recognition. He is the recipient of the Robert E. Wilson, Donald Q. Kern, and Heat Transfer and Energy Division awards. In 1996, Professor Bankoff was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

The Ernest W. Thiele award is presented annually to a Midwest region member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to advance the practice of Chemical Engineering.

Please join us in congratulating Professor S. George Bankoff on his achievement.