Chemical and biomolecular engineering (ChBE) professors Damien S. Guironnet, Simon A. Rogers and Diwakar Shukla have been named James W. Westwater professorial scholars in recognition of their excellence in teaching and research.
Guironnet joined the department in 2014 from BASF Corporation where he worked as a senior research scientist. At Illinois, his research focuses on the challenge of implementing recent advances in homogeneous catalysts into continuous processes. Guironnet also has an appointment in the Department of Chemistry.
Coming to the department in 2015, Rogers uses experimental and computational tools to understand and model advanced colloidal, polymeric, and self-assembled materials. Rogers has an appointment at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology along with his role at ChBE.
Shukla’s research is focused on understanding the complex biological processes using novel physics-based models and techniques. In addition to his appointment in ChBE, Shukla has faculty appointments in the Department of Bioengineering, the Beckman Institute and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. He is also affiliated with the Department of Chemistry and the Carl R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology.
James W. Westwater Professorial Scholar appointments are named after the longtime University of Illinois chemical engineering alumnus and faculty member. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Illinois in 1941, Westwater went on to graduate work at the University of Delaware, receiving his PhD in 1948. He returned to the University of Illinois and built his career here as a pioneering researcher and educator. In 1974, Westwater was elected into the National Academy of Engineering. Alumni and friends established the appointment to honor his distinguished career.