Alexandridis elected fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry

Paschalis Alexandridis, UB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has been elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The Royal Society of Chemistry is the oldest chemical society in the world and celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2016. Its mission of “advancing excellence in the chemical sciences” dates back to 1841 and continues today, with more than 54,000 members around the world.

The distinction of fellow recognizes members who have been in a senior position for more than five years and have made a demonstrated impact in the chemical sciences.

“This is a well-deserved recognition of Paschalis’ many contributions to our understanding of the behavior of colloids, surfactant and polymer solutions, materials that touch our everyday lives in innumerable ways, including food, pharmaceuticals and a wide variety of personal care products,” says Mark Swihart, UB Distinguished Professor, Empire Innovation Professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. “His work has been recognized by national and international awards, which raise the visibility of UB and our department. We are delighted to see that appreciation grow further.”

A chemical engineer specializing in soft materials, complex fluids and nanotechnology, Alexandridis joined the UB faculty in 1997. His work impacts emerging paradigms of chemical engineering on molecular engineering of materials and on product design and development, with the goal of novel “smart,” “nano” and “bio” materials that benefit society.

He has authored more than 175 journal articles and 65 conference proceedings, edited two books and given more than 190 invited lectures worldwide. He is co-inventor of 10 patents on pharmaceutical formulations, superabsorbent polymers, and metallic and semiconductor nanomaterials. His work has been cited more than 18,000 times.

Alexandridis is also a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His previous distinctions include the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity (2011), American Chemical Society’s Jacob F. Schoellkopf Medal (2010), Bodossaki Foundation Academic Prize in Applied Science (2005), UB Exceptional Scholar Award (2002), Sigma Xi International Young Investigator Award (2002), Japan Research Institute of Material Technology Lecturer Award (2001) and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (1999).

Alexandridis has served as chair of AIChE Area 1C: “Interfacial Phenomena” and on the executive committee of the American Chemical Society Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry. He is currently serving as co-editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences and review editor of the Journal of Surfactants and Detergents.

His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Petroleum Research Fund, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, and industry.

At UB, Alexandridis has served as director of graduate studies in chemical engineering, director of the materials science and engineering program, and associate dean for research and graduate education in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.