Effective Aug. 16, Paul Kenis is the new head of the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department at the University of Illinois.
A member of the faculty since 2000, Kenis is excited to help the department attract additional faculty, for example in emerging areas like energy and sustainability. “In addition to strengthening our research efforts, these new faculty will help us to teach our growing number of undergraduate students,” he said.
Kenis brings a strong academic record both as a teacher and researcher, and he plans to continue his multidisciplinary research program, which focuses on microchemical systems with applications in energy and biology.
Edmund Seebauer, who has been the head since August 2005, is becoming a provost fellow. In the new position, he will be fostering partnerships and academic programs in other countries, working to increase faculty participation in international initiatives and building an international focus to campus strategic planning.
“It builds on my experience in developing the multi-institutional PhD degree with National University of Singapore,” Seebauer said.
He will also continue in his position as Westwater Professor in the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department.