December 1, 2008: IBN executive director Professor Jackie Y. Ying was recognized as one of “One Hundred Engineers of the Modern Era” at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Centennial Celebrations in 2008. This list recognizes 100 chemical engineers who have made significant contributions to the profession after World War II.

IBN’s Professor Ying was listed for breaking ground in new frontiers on nanostructure manipulations; nanoporous materials and host matrices for quantum dots and wires. Other chemical engineers on this list include Professor James E. Bailey (1944-2001), recognized for his achievement as the father of modern bioprocess engineering and IBN Scientific Advisory Board Member, Professor Klavs Jensen, for his leadership in the field of chemical and biological microsystems.

“Some of the world’s greatest inventions and scientific breakthroughs that will transform our lives are being made possible by the work of chemical engineers,” said Professor Ying. “It is therefore an honor to be part of this great tradition. At our Institute, engineers work alongside doctors and other scientists to develop new biomaterials and technologies that aim to make medical treatment more effective, less painful and more affordable for patients.”

Expanding on the need for new technologies to manage environmental issues, Professor Ying added, “We should also create approaches that would enable the fixation of carbon dioxide, and better still, convert this greenhouse gas to a useful form of energy. Nanostructured materials have a role to play in these emerging platforms. To render solar cells cost-effective and highly efficient, we need to design and process novel nanocomposite systems. To convert biomass and carbon dioxide into practical forms of energy and useful petrochemicals, we require new advances in catalytic chemistry and processes, most likely based on nanocomposite catalysts.”

IBN’s Professor Jackie Y. Ying

Chemical engineers would also contribute significantly towards the development of healthcare in the future. According to Professor Ying, “chemical engineers can make a significant impact in engineering better medicine. This would involve the diagnosis of diseases at an early stage, and optimal treatment to individual patients. The former will require combined advances in nanosensors, nanofluidic devices, genomics and bioinformatics. The latter can take the form of smart drug delivery and regenerative medicine. For example, nanoparticles are being developed to target chemotherapeutics in killing cancer-specific cells, instead of creating horrible systemic side effects. Nano-biomimetic scaffolds may be constructed to guide the differentiation of one’s own stem cells to regenerate damaged tissues and organs in vivo.”