Keynote Speaker
Prof. Abraham Stroock
Cornell University

Professor Abraham Stroock is the Gordon L. Dibble ’50 Professor in the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University, where he also holds an adjunct appointment in the School of Integrative Plant Science. He serves as Director of the NSF Science and Technology Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS).
Originally from Colorado and Massachusetts, Professor Stroock also spent several years living in France. He studied physics and chemistry at Cornell University, the University of Paris, and Harvard University, and joined the Cornell faculty in 2003. He now lives in Ithaca with his family and enjoys cycling in his free time. His research focuses on transport phenomena and the thermodynamics of liquids, as well as the biophysics of plants.
Past Keynote Speakers
2024
Danielle J. Mai (Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University
2023
Paul J.A. Kenis (Chair of Professor in Chemical Engineering Department, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign) – Towards Electrifying Chemical Production
2022
Lilian Hsiao (Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University) – Interfacial Friction of Soft Materials
2021
Melanie Sinche (Certified Career Counselor, formerly Director of Education for The Jackson Laboratory) – Identifying Career Pathways for PhDs in Science
2019
Crystal G. Morrison (Founder & CEO of EverRise and Director at ChemQuest)
2018
James Waldecker (Alumni & Company Speaker – Ford) – Transitioning from Grad School to Company
2017
John Younger (Former Professor at the University of Michigan & Co-Founder of Akadeum Life Sciences)
2016
Rosemarie Wesson (Alumni & NSF Director)