Alex Penlidis

Alex Penlidis is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where he has held a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Engineering of Polymers with Tailor-Made Properties (2002–2016). He has served as founding co-editor of the Polymer Reaction Engineering Journal, and previously as Associate Director and Director of the Institute for Polymer Research (1991–2010). His roles include Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies (1998–2004), and extensive committee service across the university since 1986.

Education: PhD in Chemical Engineering from McMaster University (1986), and a Diploma of Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1980). His research focuses on advancing polymer science and engineering, particularly in polymeric materials for health, biological applications, sensors, photonics, and civil infrastructure. He also explores polymerization kinetics, reactor modeling, and viscoelastic material behavior.

Research interests emphasize interdisciplinary innovation, including tailoring polymer properties for enhanced oil recovery, sensor array design, and optimizing polymer production processes. His work integrates computational modeling, experimental polymerization studies, and industrial collaboration.

Scientific awards include the 1993 CSChE Albright & Wilson Americas Award, 2002 Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and multiple university awards for teaching, research, and supervision. He has attracted over $18M in grants, supervised 33 PhD students, and contributed to 160 undergraduate design projects and 53 MASc graduates.

His advising and grants highlight sustained mentorship and industrial partnerships. Research funding supports projects like UV-induced polypropylene modification, copolymerization reactivity ratio estimation, and nonlinear viscoelastic modeling.

Labs and teams include leadership roles at the Institute for Polymer Research and collaborations with industry through short courses and patents. His 2013 patent on polypropylene strain hardening via UV irradiation exemplifies applied research成果转化.