(109b) Advice to a Young Bioseparations Scientist/engineer: Thoughts from a Career

In this retrospective, we will review some key discoveries and developments that form the foundation of pressure-driven synthetic membrane processes and their applications to bioseparations. We will also place them in the context of the author's career and look for rules or lesson on how to develop ones career in science and engineering. Specifically, we will discuss the early work of describing the application of the first membrane modules for biotechnology by Madsen, Nielson and Olson at the Danish Sukkerfabriken in the 1970s. Early attempts by Thomas and Dresner at Oak Ridge to deal with fouling are most instructive and laid the foundation for most analyses by groups in the US and Europe. Others have followed Chao Chu's ideas and patents at AMF in the 1980s that led the way to develop charged repulsive membranes that are again the topic of much research. Within the presentation, a track of the author's career will be used to emphasize how young scientists could perhaps optimize their efforts in setting up a scientific career.