About

The Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Stevens educates engineers and scientists who become technological leaders in the fields of chemical engineering and materials science.

The chemical engineering programs at Stevens originated in what became the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in the mid-1960s. The materials programs have their origins in what was originally the Department of Metallurgy, founded in 1938, which later became the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering. In 1998, the chemical engineering undergraduate and graduate programs joined with the materials graduate programs to form the Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science. The co-existence of these two synergistic engineering programs within the same department has been a unique source of strength. A number of the department’s faculty members have research and educational background in both disciplines, which is reflected in the diverse nature of our research focus areas:

• inorganic material synthesis and crystal engineering

• multi-scale modeling and simulation

• nanophotonics and fiber optics

• polymer synthesis, characterization, and processing

• Reaction engineering

• Tissue and cancer engineering

Many of these areas have important applications in sustainable energy and healthcare. The department boasts two renowned research centers: the Highly Filled Materials Institute, and the New Jersey Center for Microchemical Systems, and an acclaimed national research resource, the Laboratory for Multiscale Imaging. Our exceptional faculty have strong accomplishments in research, teaching, and service. They have been called upon to serve in various important leadership roles in both the School of Engineering & Science and the institute. 

Message from the Chair

Adeniyi LawalWelcome to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Stevens. Our mission is to provide our students with a high quality and functional engineering education that not only meets their aspirations but also serves society at large. We produce engineers and scientists equipped with critical thinking skills. Engineering, like other disciplines, is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary therefore broadening the students educational experience while at Stevens is an important objective. Related to that, our curricula have components aimed at transforming our students into life-long learners. Our courses also address important contemporary issues such as sustainability, and renewable energy.

We are excited to share with you some of the unique attributes of our department. We offer an undergraduate program in chemical engineering, and graduate programs in both chemical engineering and materials science. As a student, you become part of an exciting community of learners and researchers, receiving instruction from chemical engineering and materials science professors of diverse research backgrounds.

Our undergraduate students are grounded in the fundamental concepts of chemical engineering, math and science which prepare them for the development of chemical processes and products. Through various design spine courses, which are unique to Stevens engineering education, they become well-rounded engineers, practice teamwork and develop the leadership skills required for an exciting career in a profession brimming with opportunity. As a graduate student, you will work alongside our professors in cross-functional teams, immersed in a vibrant intellectual setting, with access to state-of-the-art research laboratories to grapple with solutions to issues that are vitally important to society, industry and government. Our doctoral students also take advantage of opportunities that our department provides for synergistic and collaborative research between chemical engineering and materials science. It’s not uncommon to have a materials science professor as the primary advisor of a chemical engineering PhD student, and vice versa.

Our distinguished faculty is one of the most culturally and gender diverse at Stevens. The student body also reflects this diversity. We are committed to the promotion of inclusion as we welcome people of all different backgrounds. We look forward to your joining us.

Dr. Adeniyi Lawal

Department Administration

Adeniyi Lawal
Department Chair
adeniyi.lawal@stevens.edu
201-216-8241
McLean 103C and Burchard 427

Yujun Zhao
Associate Chair
yzhao@stevens.edu
201-216-8358
McLean 403

Vincenza La Forgia-Webb
Office Manager
vincenza.laforgia-webb@stevens.edu
201-216-5267
McLean 100B

Academic Contacts

Pinar Akcora
Undergraduate Ambassador
pinar.akcora@stevens.edu
201-216-5060
McLean 415

Alyssa Hensley
Undergraduate Ambassador
ahensley@stevens.edu
201-216-3591
Burchard 407

Jae Chul Kim
Associate Chair for Graduate Studies
jaechul.kim@stevens.edu
201-216-5286
Burchard B-010B

Brent Johnson
Academic Advisor - Undergraduate & Graduate
bjohnso2@stevens.edu
201-216-5546
McLean 103

Adeniyi Lawal
Ph.D. Program Coordinator, Chemical Engineering
adeniyi.lawal@stevens.edu
201-216-8241
McLean 103C and Burchard 427

Henry Du
Ph.D. Program Coordinator, Materials Science
hdu@stevens.edu
201-216-5262
Burchard 410

External Advisory Board Members

Prof. Helen M. Chan

New Jersey Zinc Professor, Materials Science & Engineering, Lehigh University

Dr. Chan is the New Jersey Zinc Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Lehigh University, and served as Department Chair 2006 - 2016. She received her B.Sc. (First Class Hons.) and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Materials Science and Technology at Imperial College (University of London), and joined the Lehigh faculty in 1986. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the American Ceramic Society. Her varied research interests include processing, structure and properties of advanced ceramics and high entropy alloys, and is the author of over 190 journal publications. Dr. Chan is a former Chair of the University Materials Council (2011-2012) and chaired the executive committee of the Basic Science Division of the American Ceramic Society (2010-2011). She has served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Ceramic Society since 1999, and held the position of Editor of the Journal of Materials Science 2004-2015. She is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society, Fulbright Visiting Professor, TU Graz, Austria (2016), and Chair of 2008 Gordon Research Conference on Solid State Ceramics. In 2017, Dr. Chan received Lehigh University’s Hillman Award for “teaching, research work and advancing the interests of the university.” She was also one of the researchers highlighted in the book “Successful Women Ceramic and Glass Scientists and Engineers: 100 Inspirational Profiles,” by L. Madsen, Wiley, 2015.

Dr. Christopher L. Coccio

Chairman and CEO, Sono-Tek Corporation, Stevens Alumnus

Dr. Coccio has been CEO of Sono-Tek since 2001. From 1964 to 1996, he held various engineering, sales, marketing, and management positions at General Electric Company, with P&L responsibilities for up to $100 million in sales and 500 people throughout the United States. His business experience includes both domestic and international markets and customers. In 1996, American Society of Mechanical Engineers appointed him as a US Congressional Fellow attached to the Senate Energy Committee, and later to the New York State Assembly's Legislative Commission on Science and Technology from 1996 to 1998. From 1998 to 2001, he worked with Accumetrics Associates, Inc., a manufacturer of digital wireless telemetry systems, as Vice President of Business Development and member of the Board of Advisors. Dr. Coccio received a B.S.M.E. from Stevens Institute of Technology, a M.S.M.E. from the University of Colorado, and a Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Chemical Engineering. He currently serves on two Boards of Advisors at Stevens Institute of Technology.

Dr. Suzanne M. D’Addio

Director - Discovery Pharmaceutical Sciences, Merck & Co., Stevens Alumna

Suzanne M. D'Addio is a Director at Merck & Co., Inc. in West Point, PA where she leads a team that supports Discovery programs through pharmaceutical developability assessments, contributing to the optimization of physicochemical properties of small molecule, oligonucleotide and large molecule drug candidates, and supporting pre-clinical in vivo studies through a variety of drug delivery techniques. In prior roles, she has had responsibility for leading the development of novel sterile drug products, including the formulation definition and process development for manufacturing and technology transfer in early development. She has contributed to novel research on the formulation and pharmaceutical developability of peptide drug products, a topic on which she has been invited to speak at international conferences and has published several peer-reviewed publications. She currently serves as an Associate Editor for the journal AAPS Open and is an active volunteer for the Stevens Alumni Association. Prior to joining Merck, she was awarded an Endeavour Awards Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Australian Government DEEWR to study at the University of Queensland. Suzanne obtained a Ph.D. in Chemical and Materials Engineering from Princeton University, during which time she was awarded research fellowships from Merck & Co., Inc., the US National Science Foundation, and the Australian Academy of Science to support her work exploring drug delivery strategies to improve treatment regimens for tuberculosis. She holds a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering.

Dr. Richard Durand

Director, Material and Characterization Science, Sun Chemical Corporation

Rich Durand currently serves as Director /Analytical and Material Science for Sun Chemical Corporation at their North American R&D facility in Carlstadt, New Jersey. During his time at Sun Chemical, he has held a variety of positions including Senior Scientist, Director/Newspaper Ink R&D, Director/Knowledge Management, Director/Analytical Science. His current emphasis is on to develop material property relationships which guide product formulation for various stresses encountered during printing process application of inks and coatings. Rich received a B.S. in Chemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from California Institute of Technology in 1984. His thesis work involved modified carbon electrodes for electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction for fuel cells. Prior to joining Sun Chemical Corporation, he started his career as Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Rhode Island pursuing electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide. He also has served as an adjunct chemistry professor at Ramapo College of New Jersey. He has received several Sun Chemical Innovation Awards for his patent contributions. He has published extensively on topics related to print science. In addition, he created an award-winning science outreach program for local grade schools in New Jersey as well as has been an active high school ACS Science Coach for Bergen County Technical High School and mentor for the Senior Experience Program at Bergen County Academies. He also created and manages a student intern program at Sun Chemical which has provided internship opportunities for chemistry and chemical engineering college students. He currently also serves on the External Advisory Board for Department of Chemical Engineering for Rochester Institute of Technology. Rich is past president of ALMA (Association of Laboratory Managers) and is currently a board member.

Prof. Stephanie Farrell

Professor and Department Head, Experiential Engineering Education, Rowan University, Stevens Alumna

Stephanie Farrell holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s degree from Stevens Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. from New Jersey Institute of Technology, all in Chemical Engineering. Stephanie is Professor and Founding Head of the Department of Experiential Engineering Education at Rowan University. She joined Rowan University in 1998 as a founding faculty member in Chemical Engineering and served in that department until launching ExEEd in 2016. She served as Interim Dean of the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering from 2019-2021. Stephanie is past president of the American Society for Engineering Education. Stephanie’s research focuses on inclusive pedagogy and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering education. Her contributions to engineering education have been recognized with numerous national and international awards. She has been honored by the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) with several teaching awards such as the National Outstanding Teaching Medal and the Quinn Award for experiential learning. She received the highest award from the International Society for Engineering Pedagogy (IGIP), the Nikola Tesla Award for outstanding achievements in engineering pedagogy. Stephanie was the 2014-2015 Fulbright Scholar in Engineering Education at Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland). Stephanie is a Fellow of both the American Society of Engineering Education and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Mr. Donald Kientzler

Director of Engineering, J-STAR Research, Inc., Stevens Alumnus

Don Kientzler is the Director of Engineering at J-Star Research, Inc. in Cranbury, New Jersey. He is currently leading multiple Drug Product (DP) and Drug Substance (DS) development & GMP facility expansions. In addition, his responsibilities and interest include Pharmaceutical Materials Science, crystallization and particulate systems engineering, novel chemical & pharmaceutical processing techniques, DS-DP co-processing, and Process Systems Engineering. Prior to joining J-Star Research, Don held multiple positions in Drug Substance and Drug Product development at Bristol-Myers Squibb for over 34 years. In these positions he was responsible for global process development, technology transfer of pharmaceutical APIs and DP formulations, and plant design & construction. His technical experience in DS development includes adsorption/absorption, chromatography, distillation, extraction, filtration, membranes, milling, mixing, process control systems, scrubbing systems, crystallization, particle engineering, solids drying, multiple chemical reactions including hydrogenations, facility, and equipment design, cGMPs, handling of highly hazardous chemicals and APIs, containment systems, and hazard evaluations. In the area of DS development his experience includes solids handling, granulations, drying, milling, blending, tableting, coating, fluid bed, spray drying, process control systems, and continuous processing. Don is currently the Vice-chair of ASTM Committee E55 on Manufacture of Pharmaceutical Products. He holds a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Ryan Kerrigan

Basic Chemicals Business Planning Manager, ExxonMobil Chemical Company

Ryan Kerrigan holds a Bachelors of Engineering in Chemical Engineering ('07) from Stevens Institute of Technology. He has 14 years of industry and business experience working in a variety of roles for ExxonMobil. He's worked in Applications Development, Risk Management, Strategic Planning, Product Management for Polyethylene, and a number of Senior Manufacturing Leadership roles. He provides perspective on the energy transition and technological research in that realm, as well as how Stevens can adapt its curriculum to better its graduates for industry. He brings his experience from hiring over 300 college graduates from the top 40 engineering universities across the United States and has seen the strengths and weaknesses of different academic programs and has been a part of recruiting at Stevens since he graduated.

Prof. Hong Liang

Oscar S. Wyatt Jr. Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A & M, Stevens Alumna

Dr. Hong Liang is the Oscar S. Wyatt Jr. Professor at the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. in materials from the Stevens Institute of Technology and did postdoc at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. After spending a few years in microelectronic industry, she joined the faculty in mechanical engineering. Her research has been focused on tribology, manufacturing (such as chemical-mechanical polishing), nano- and bio-materials, surfaces and interfaces, energy harvesting and storage devices. Professor Liang is an editor-in-chief for Tribology International and an associate editor of a few other journals. She is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Fellow of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE). She is the current secretory of STLE. In 2018-2019, she was the ASME Swanson Fellow and served as the assistant director for research partnerships for the National Office of Advanced Manufacturing at National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Mr. Steven Nicolich

Director and Senior Scientist Technical Manager, Energetics and Warheads, US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center, Stevens Alumnus

Mr. Steven Nicolich holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology, a MS in Environmental Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, and a Master’s in Business Administration. Mr. Nicolich is also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and has Leadership Certifications from the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves as the Director of the Energetics and Warheads Directorate at the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center in New Jersey where he leads a large diverse workforce with subordinate supervisory levels with significant in-house operations and facilities. His primary responsibility includes overall management and leadership of all warheads, explosives, gun propulsion, and pyrotechnics science and technology, research, development, prototyping, testing, and production support for the US Army and related critical programs with significant impact on national defense capability. Mr. Nicolich is also responsible for the development of strategic plans, budgets, workforce development, and talent management. Mr. Nicolich holds 10 patents and has over 90 government, open literature, and other publications. He has also given numerous presentations at national and international meetings and conferences.

Prof. Richard D. Noble

Research Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado

Prof. Richard D. Noble is currently a Research Professor of Chemistry at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Rich is also a Registered Professional Engineer in Colorado. He was the Alfred T. and Betty E. Look Professor of Chemical Engineering until 2017 when he retired from his tenured position. He also co-founded the NSF I/U CRC Membrane Applied Science and Technology Center and served as a co-Director until 2017. During his academic career, Rich has become an internationally recognized leader in the development and use of novel membrane and thin film materials, including zeolites and ionic liquids, for chemical separations. He currently has more than 80 patents and applications, more than 340 research publications, and 14 textbooks and monographs. In terms of the scientific impact of his academic work, his research publications have been cited over 19,400 times (Web of Science), and his current h-index is 80. In addition to earning numerous awards and recognition for his research, he has also received 17 teaching awards and 4 service awards, including the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Institute Service to Society Award (2005) and 24 research awards including CU Inventor of the Year Award (2008), the AIChE Institute Excellence in Industrial Gas Technology Award (2010), the ASEE Chemical Engineering Chemstations Lectureship Award (2011), the AIChE Separations Division Clarence G. Gerhold Award (2011), and the Chair d”Excellence Pierre de Fermat, Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France for the 2010-11 academic year. He is on the editorial board of three separations-related technical journals. He has been chair of the AIChE Separations Division, American Chemical Society Separations Science and Technology subdivision, as well as the Gordon Research Conferences on Separation and Purification, and Membranes: Materials & Processes.

Prof. Dacheng Ren

Stevenson Endowed Professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University

Dr. Dacheng Ren received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from University of Connecticut in 2003. After finishing postdoctoral training at Cornell University, he joined Syracuse University in 2006. Currently, he is Stevenson Endowed Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, and the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Dr. Ren received an Early Career Translational Research Award in Biomedical Engineering from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation in 2009 and a NSF CAREER award in 2011. He was named the College Technology Educator of the Year by the Technology Alliance of Central New York in 2010. Dr. Ren is also a recipient of the Faculty Excellence Award from the School of Engineering and Computer Science in 2014, and Syracuse University Chancellor’s Citation for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction in 2018. Dr. Ren currently has 69 journal publications with nearly 5,500 citations and an h-index of 34, 11 issued/pending patents, and more than 50 invited talks. Dr. Ren has broad research interests in biomaterials, medical devices, and microbial control. His research has been supported by NSF, NIH, EPA, Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and industrial sponsors.

Dr. Sunitha Tadepalli

Research Fellow, Internationa Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.

Sunitha Tadepalli received her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India. She earned Master of Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology under the guidance of Professor Adeniyi Lawal. Her graduate education focused on the evaluation of microchannel reactor system for catalytic hydrogenation of fine chemical and pharmaceutical applications to replace existing batch processes with low cost, environmental friendly and energy efficient processes. Dr.Tadepalli subsequently started her industrial career with International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) in the R&D process development group where her primary role was evaluation and implementation of new cutting edge engineering technologies for IFF products. Over the past 14 years, she wore multiple hats at IFF R&D serving as a technical lead on various reaction technology areas and led numerous external collaboration projects with industrial and academic partners for the development of green and sustainable processes. Her work led to several inventions in the field of circular economy and sustainable manufacturing processes. Dr.Tadepalli is an active member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and Catalysis Society of Metropolitan New York.