Meet the chair
Dr. Jeffrey Potoff is the chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Wayne State University. Prior to becoming chair of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science in 2020, he served as the associate dean for academic affairs for the College of Engineering from 2016-2020 and was Director of Early Engineering Programs from 2010-2016. His research is focused on the development of models, algorithms and software that may be used to design new materials on the computer.
What are some exciting areas of study/research in chemical engineering?
There is a saying that nearly all problems are solvable if you have enough energy. However, global energy consumption is growing exponentially and it's unlikely that conservation efforts will have a significant impact on that trend. Therefore, research related to energy generation and storage (e.g. renewable sources, catalysis, batteries) is extremely important. Chemical engineers are making important contributions to medicine, developing anti-fouling coatings for implants, and finding improved methods for targeted drug delivery. We're also entering a new era of materials design, where we have sufficient computational power to predict accurately the properties of materials with limited or no experimental data. In chemical engineering, we will see an increasing reliance on data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence to obtain solutions to challenging problems.
What do you like the most about Wayne State?
My favorite thing about WSU is that this is a place where anyone can be star. Students who put in the effort will find that there is tremendous support available from faculty, staff and alumni to help them achieve their goals.
An example of this is the professional development series created as collaboration between our Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) and our American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE) student organization. Every month, industry professionals meet with students to talk about their careers. Members of our IAB work directly with students on resume writing, interviewing, salary negotiation, and general career information. It's an amazing opportunity for students to get coaching directly from the people who do the hiring.
What is one thing you would recommend students do?
Engage with the campus community. There is a lot more to college than taking classes, and we have plenty of data that show us engagement is correlated with student success.
Get involved in a student organization on campus. Student organizations are a great way to build relationships with other students, get help in course work, and gain the leadership experience that employers are looking for. In chemical engineering, that would be American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE), but students might also be interested in college-wide orgs, such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), or the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).
What do you like to do when you are not running the department, teaching, or conducting research?
I am an avid cyclist, and ride approximately 5,500 miles/year. In 2019, I was part of the Road Warrior Tour with President Roy Wilson, where we covered approximately 100 miles/day for 5 days.