Wayne State University announces 2024-25 BASF Distinguished Lecture Series in chemical engineering

The Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Wayne State University will present the 2024-25 installment of the annual BASF Distinguished Lecture Series. The series was created as a partnership between the department and BASF to showcase exceptional research from established leaders and rising stars in the field.

“Since its inception in 2018, the BASF Distinguished Lecture Series has been a fantastic opportunity for our students and faculty to engage with faculty whose research is on the forefront of the field,” said Professor and Department Chair Jeffrey Potoff. “We are grateful to BASF for their continued support of the Distinguished Lecture Series.”

The series kicks off in September with two lectures by University of Delaware scholars focusing on innovative computational and experimental methods applied to material design. On Sept. 18, Professor Arthi Jayaraman will visit to discuss the integration of physics-based models and machine learning tools to better interpret experimental data and establish structure-property relationships in soft macromolecular materials.

Professor Norman Wagner comes to Detroit on Sept. 25 for a presentation on how electron transport properties in carbon black suspensions can be optimized for applications in electrochemical energy storage, focusing on the relationship between microstructure, rheology and conductivity.

This year, the lecture series was expanded to include a rising star in chemical engineering. Professor Danielle Mai from Stanford University, who has been recognized as one of AICHE’s 35 under 35 and on the MIT Technology Review List of 35 innovators under 35, will give her seminar on Jan. 15.  Her work is focused on the engineering of biopolymers.

Topics for the remaining three speakers will be announced later. These lectures include:

• Jan. 22: Professor Zahra Fakhraai, University of Pennsylvania

• March 5: Professor Juan de Pablo, New York University

• April 16: Professor Paul Dauenhauer, University of Minnesota

The partnership between Wayne State and BASF — the largest chemical producer in the world, with a footprint in more than 80 countries — was established to create new channels that connect students with industry professionals and enhance interactions between academia and industry experts.

Visit events.wayne.edu for more information on the lectures.