10:34 a.m., Feb. 19, 2010----Mark Barteau, Robert L. Pigford Chair of Chemical Engineering and senior vice provost for research and strategic initiatives at the University of Delaware, has been appointed co-chair of the Chemical Sciences Roundtable of the National Research Council (NRC).

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A forum of leaders in the chemical sciences, the roundtable initiates and hosts meetings and workshops to discuss issues of importance throughout the chemical enterprise, such as green chemistry, high school chemistry education, and research teams and partnerships. The group advances study concepts to the NRC's Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, which provides scientific and technical advice to inform national decision makers.

“This appointment attests to Mark's national reputation in the field of chemical engineering,” says Michael Chajes, dean of the UD College of Engineering. “He has been recognized not only for his own research accomplishments but also for the value of his insights into future research directions for the nation as a whole.”

Barteau was also recently named a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). He joins several other UD chemical engineering faculty who are fellows of AIChE, including T. W. Fraser Russell, Stanley Sandler, and Tunde Ogunnaike.

Election to the grade of fellow is based on contributions to the professional advancement of chemical engineers and the engineering profession as well as on valuable service to the institute. Barteau previously served as associate editor of the institute's flagship publication, the AIChE Journal.

Barteau joined the UD faculty in 1982 after earning a bachelor's degree at Washington University in St. Louis and master's and doctoral degrees at Stanford University.

He served as director of the Center for Catalytic Science and Technology from 1996 to 2000 and as chairperson of the Department of Chemical Engineering from 2000 to 2007. He was also the founding director of the UD Energy Institute, which was officially launched in September 2008.

Barteau was appointed senior vice provost for research and strategic initiatives in 2008, a position in which he works closely with UD President Patrick Harker to advance the University as a research institution and to achieve high visibility for the University's research and multidisciplinary scholarship nationally and internationally.

Barteau received the University's Francis Alison Award in 2004 and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006, cited for advancing the fundamental understanding of surface chemical reaction mechanisms and for the design and invention of new catalysts. In addition, he has won a number of awards from AIChE, the Catalysis Society, and the American Chemical Society. In 2008, he was named to AIchE's list of “100 Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era.”

“We benefitted greatly from his leadership in growing the chemical engineering department to be a world-recognized, leading program,” says chairperson Norman Wagner, “and are fortunate to now have him leading the research and strategic planning activities at the University.”

Article by Diane Kukich