Zydney named ACS Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division Fellow

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Andrew Zydney, Bayard D. Kunkle Chair in Engineering, professor of chemical engineering, and director of the Penn State Center of Excellence in Industrial Biotechnology, has been named a Fellow of the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry (I&EC) Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The I&EC is a multidisciplinary division that helps individuals convert science into commercially relevant products and processes.

Fellow recognition is awarded for achievements within a chosen field of industry-related chemistry or chemical engineering. Zydney's research focuses on membrane science and technology, with an emphasis on the development of membrane systems for recovery of biological products via bioseparations, the process of purifying biological products on a large scale. His work has greatly impacted the design and development of important commercial membrane processes for the purification of monoclonal antibodies, which are used in treating cancer and other immunologic disorders.

“One of the areas that the I&EC focuses on in particular is separations and membrane systems, so a large part of my work fits in very well with what the division is doing,” Zydney said.

Zydney’s career accomplishments include publishing more than 200 articles on membranes and bioprocessing. He is also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Membrane Science; a member of the editorial review board for Biotechnology and Bioengineering; and he serves on the editorial boards for Separation and Purification Reviews, Separation Science and Technology, and Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Based on his extensive achievements, the ACS Division of Biochemical Technology recently named Zydney as its 2019 recipient of the Alan S. Michaels Award in the Recovery of Biological Products.

Zydney has been a member of the I&EC Division of ACS for more than 30 years.

“I’m part of sort of the old guard within the field. I try not to think of it that way but it's a reality,” Zydney said. “The types of recognition such as being named a Fellow do typically go to people who have had long careers of making an impact. The work that our junior faculty are doing now will hopefully over time lead to their getting selected for something like this.”

Zydney will receive his fellowship recognition at the spring 2020 ACS National Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia. The ACS will hold a symposium at the meeting in Zydney's honor featuring research presentations given by both professional colleagues and his former graduate students. The former students will both present on their current research and talk about the impact of Zydney’s mentorship on their professional lives.

“The talks are 95 percent technical, but most speakers will take a few minutes in the beginning or the end of the talk to make some statements about my contribution to the field and to them personally,” Zydney said. “I have certainly had a number of opportunities to do that for more senior colleagues of mine in the past who have had honorary sessions in their name.”

Zydney said that he is greatly looking forward to the event, viewing it as a reunion of sorts with his former students who have now become colleagues.

“It's always nice to be recognized, but this is extra special because of the honorary session,” Zydney said. “It’s a chance for a group of people who I enjoy spending time with to come together at a conference and be there for me. This type of honor will be a first for me, and I am truly looking forward to this very special event.”