2026
2026
August
Grossmann to present at University of Cantabria
Professor Ignacio Grossmann of Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Advanced Process Decision-making will present "Computational Strategies for Optimizing Multiperiod Blending and Integrated Design of Wind Farms" at the University of Cantabria in Spain on September 14.
Alumni earn Rising Star Professorships
Two ChemE alumni from the Ph.D. program's class of 2021 have been recognized with Rising Star Professorships at Purdue University. Can Li develops optimization and machine learning methods for applications in energy, chemical and biological systems. David Bernal Neira applies mathematical and computational methods to large-scale optimization problems in process systems and energy engineering. Both are assistant professors in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue.
July
Kitchen, Laird discuss AI in education at FOPAM 2026
FOPAM 2026 Conference
ChemE’s John Kitchin and Carl Laird will present “Designing the Future Engineer: How AI Is Transforming Learning, Work, and Discovery” at the Foundations of Process/Product Analytics and Machine Learning (FOPAM) 2026 conference taking place July 26-30 in Decatur, GA. The session will include a discussion on responsible AI.
June
Grossmann co-chairs conference on North American supply chain
U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the Tecnológico de Monterrey Education Group
ChemE’s Ignacio Grossmann is serving as co-chair of From Resilience to New Opportunities: Building the North American Supply Chain of the Future. The conference, co-organized by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the Tecnológico de Monterrey Education Group, takes place October 27-28 in Mexico. Grossmann will also be speaking at the international event.
January
Laliwala awarded honorable mention for TechConnect World abstract
ChemE Ph.D. student Chris Laliwala received an honorable mention for the 2026 TechConnect World Best Student Abstract Award. His abstract is titled "Design and Optimization of Processing Pathways for Rare Earth Element Recovery from End-of-Life Products." Laliwala works with ChemE's Ana Torres.
2025
November
Stinchfield earns Computing & Systems Technology award at AIChE
ChemE Ph.D. student Georgia Stinchfield won the Best Student Presentation Award from the Computing & Systems Technology (CAST) directors at the 2025 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) annual meeting. Stinchfield, who works with ChemE's Carl Laird, presented "Snoglode: A Flexible Solver for Parallel Decomposition and Global Optimization of Large-Scale Block Angular Decomposable Optimization Problems."
Colombo Tedesco and Stinchfield receive travel awards for AIChE
ChemE Ph.D. students Carolina Colombo Tedesco and Georgia Stinchfield received Women in Chemical Engineering (WIC) Travel Awards to attend the 2025 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) annual meeting. Stinchfield works with ChemE's Carl Laird. Colombo Tedesco, who works with ChemE's John Kitchin and Carl Laird, also received a Travel Award from the AIChE Catalysis & Reaction Engineering Division.
October
Grossmann delivers Shell Lecture at Rice University
Rice University
ChemE’s Ignacio Grossmann was a featured speaker in the Shell Lecture Series presented by the Department of Computational Mathematics & Operations Research at Rice University. His talk was titled “Challenges in the application of mathematical programming approaches to industrial enterprise-wide optimization.”
Grossmann addresses Mexican Society of Operations Research
Mexican Society of Operations Research
ChemE’s Ignacio Grossmann gave a plenary talk at the 2025 Congress of the Mexican Society of Operations Research in Leon, Mexico. His address was titled “Digital supply chains: The role of optimization techniques.”
August
Biegler ranked on ScholarGPS
ScholarGPS
ChemE’s Lorenz Biegler was ranked #1 in process optimization for 2024 on ScholarGPS. Highly Ranked Scholars™ are determined based on productivity and impact, including their number of publications, citations, and h-index.
Grossmann ranked on ScholarGPS
ScholarGPS
ChemE’s Ignacio Grossmann was ranked #10 in chemical engineering for 2024 on ScholarGPS. Highly Ranked Scholars™ are determined based on productivity and impact, including their number of publications, citations, and h-index.
July
Three Ph.D. students recognized by American Chemical Society
ChemE Ph.D. students Andrew Ashmar, Carolina Colombo Tedesco, and Sarah Sonbati were selected as recipients of the 2025 American Chemical Society (ACS) Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholars Recognition Program. Ashmar, who works with ChemE's Daphne Chan, was recognized for his leadership in the promotion of research safety. Colombo Tedesco, who works with ChemE's John Kitchin and Carl Laird, was recognized for her leadership in the promotion of inclusion and belonging. Sonbati, who works with ChemE's Anne Skaja Robinson, was recognized for her leadership in mentoring.
February
Grossmann named Foreign Academic
ChemE’s Ignacio Grossmann was selected as a Foreign Academic of the Chemical and Physical Sciences Section of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical, and Natural Sciences of Spain.