Joan F. Brennecke, Keating-Crawford Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, has been named recipient of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers(AIChE) 2006 Professional Progress Award.
The award recognizes outstanding progress in the field of chemical engineering by individuals less than 45 years of age. Award recipients must have made significant contributions to the science of chemical engineering through a theoretical discovery or development of a new principle in the chemical engineering field, the development of a new process or product in the field, an invention or development of new equipment, or distinguished service rendered to the field or profession.
Brennecke, only the second woman to receive the award in its 58-year history, was cited for herfundamental scientific and technological contributions to the development of ionic liquids as separation and reaction solvents.She will receive the award and deliver a lecture at the November 2007 AIChE annual meeting inSalt Lake City.
Brennecke is known internationally for her research in the development of solvents, including supercritical fluids and ionic liquids, which are less harmful to the environment. Her primary interests in developing ionic liquids are in the measurement and modeling of thermodynamics, thermophysical properties, phase behavior and separation.
Brennecke is director of theNotre DameEnergyCenter, an initiative that unites researchers devoted to developing new energy technologies to meet a compelling national and international need.
In 2001, she received the Ipatieff Prize from the American Chemical Society in recognition of her pioneering high pressure studies of the local structure of supercriticalfluid solutions and the effect of this local structure on rates of homogeneous reactions.
Brennecke has been elected chair of the Council for Chemical Research and will assume leadership of the organization in 2007.
A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 1989, Brennecke earned her bachelors degree at theUniversityofTexasand her masters and doctoral degrees at theUniversityofIllinois.
AIChE is the worlds leading organization for chemical engineering professionals with more than 40,000 members from 93 countries.
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