معرفی
Benny D. Freeman holds the William J. (Bill) Murray, Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering and serves as Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering. With 35 years of faculty service (1989-present), he directs the Department of Energy's Energy Frontier Research Center for Materials for Water and Energy Systems (M-WET) and serves as Co-Leader of Gap Attack Platform B and Co-Investigator for Gap Attack Platform C.
Dr. Freeman's research program explores the relationship between polymer structure, processing and properties, with specific focus on how polymer structure affects solubility, diffusivity, and permeability of small molecules in polymers. His work has direct applications in membranes for liquid, gas, and vapor separations; controlled drug delivery; barrier plastics; and physical aging of polymeric materials. His current research projects include Next Generation Gas Separation Membrane Materials, Bioinspired Membranes to Control Fouling of Water Purification Membranes, and Fundamentals of Water and Ion Transport in Membranes.
His extensive publication record includes 533 publications and 24 issued patents, with recent work focusing on polymer recycling, membrane fabrication techniques, water transport phenomena, and advanced materials for separation processes. His research group maintains strong connections with multiple research centers including NSF's CISTAR, UT Austin's CWE, TMI, PSTC, and CEER.
- U.S. National Academy of Engineering (2023)
- Billy & Claude R. Hocott Distinguished Centennial Engineering Research Award (2024)
- AIChE Materials Engineering & Sciences Division Braskem Award (2023)
- AIChE Separations Division Founders Award (2022)
- NAMS Fellow (2017)
- ACS Award in Applied Polymer Science (2009)
As Editor-in-Chief of Polymer journal and member of multiple editorial boards, Dr. Freeman has significantly influenced the field. He directs 19 Ph.D. students, 4 postdoctoral fellows, and several visiting researchers, with research supported by federal, state, and industrial sponsors. His laboratory, the Membrane Research Lab, focuses on developing high-performance polymers for gas and liquid separations as well as barrier packaging applications.
