Earlier this year, professor and department head Christopher V. Rao was named the Ray and Beverly Mentzer Professor, effective January 16, 2023. The Mentzer Professorship was established through a gift to the department from ChBE alumnus Ray Mentzer (BS 1974) and his wife, Beverly.
Rao received his bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University (1994) and Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin (2000). He was a Postdoctoral research fellow at University of California, Berkeley (2000-2004) before joining the ChBE faculty in 2005. In his research, Rao applies systems engineering approaches to study biological problems associated with biofuel production and bioremediation. His research group seeks to reverse-engineer natural systems that exhibit interesting properties and then apply the knowledge to design synthetic systems for various applications. In recognition of his work, Rao was a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research from The Grainger College of Engineering (2014). Rao was named ChBE Department Head in January 2023.
The Investiture ceremony for Rao will be held on November 1, 2023.