Selen Cremaschi named as the next chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering
Published: Jun 28, 2023 10:20 AM
By Austin Phillips
Selen Cremaschi, the B. Redd and Susan W. Redd Eminent Scholar Chair Professor, has been named as chair of Auburn University’s Department of Chemical Engineering.
Cremaschi succeeds Mario Eden, who was named as dean of Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering in April. She is only the third woman to chair or head an Auburn Engineering department. Her tenure begins July 1.
“I am thrilled to take on this role and help take the Department of Chemical Engineering to the next level,” Cremaschi said. “I appreciate Dr. Eden’s confidence in me to serve in this capacity, and I look forward to working with him again as we elevate the best student-centered engineering experience in America. I would also like to thank Dr. Bob Ashurst for his service and dedication to the department during his time as acting chair.”
Cremaschi has served as faculty member in the Auburn’s Department of Chemical Engineering since 2016. She previously served as chemical engineering professor at the University of Tulsa, a visiting faculty scholar at Chevron Energy Technology Company and as an assistant research scientist and post-doctoral research associate at Purdue University’s Discovery Park.
She earned both her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in chemical engineering from Bogazici University in Turkey and her doctorate from Purdue in the same discipline. Her research interest includes risk management, optimization, process synthesis, machine learning and planning under uncertainty. Her research group develops systems analysis and decision support tools for complex systems, mainly focusing on the biomanufacturing, pharmaceutical and energy industry.
Cremaschi has successfully acquired $13.3 million in external research funding during her time as a faculty member. She received Auburn Engineering’s Senior Research Award for Excellence, Tulsa’s Zelimir Schmidt Award for Outstanding Researcher and a National Science Foundation CAREER award, among others. She has published one book chapter, 55 journal articles and 65 peer-reviewed conference publications. She is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and has served as the 2014 programming chair for AIChE Computing and Systems Technology Division Process Design Area (CAST 10A) and as director of the AIChE CAST Division from 2018-20. Cremaschi currently serves as the second vice-chair of the AIChE CAST Division and Programming Chair of CAST 10A.
“Dr. Cremaschi is one of the brightest and most trusted peers I’ve ever worked with,” said Eden, dean of engineering. “I am thrilled to have her lead a department that I care so much about, and I’m excited to work alongside her as part of the college’s leadership team.”
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