We also welcomed two new faculty and staff members since the beginning of the fall. Dr. Peter Pawlicki, a new Sr. Lab Manager, joined us after many years of industrial experiences in DuPont and Lockheed Martin; he was hired after Kenneth Umemba, who has retired in summer after serving the department in the same capacity for more than two decades. Dr. Thabit Abuqudaira, joined the Department as a Visiting Assistant Professor in Nuclear Engineering, after completing his Ph.D. degree in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A&M.

Last Fall's AIChE Annual Meeting happened right here in Boston. On November 5, the Department held a successful Alum event in Back Bay Social, during which many alums and friends showed up, including some we haven’t seen for a number of years. We also participated in the graduate student Recruitment Fair on that Sunday, which attracted a good number of students to come to visit our booth and learn more about our Graduate Programs. Our faculty and student volunteers did a wonderful job in talking with prospective students.

In this newsletter, you will also find other news and stories about our faculty achievements, including Dr. Camci-Unal being elected a Fellow of AIMBE, Dr. Aghara leading the Massachusetts Roadmaps for Advanced Nuclear and Fusion Energy, and Dr. Orbey serving as the 2025 AIChE Annual Meeting Program Chair. Our student continue to have great successes, such as newly selected Shah Academy Scholars, student presentation award in AIChE meeting, and high-school student research during the summer.

I wish you and your loved ones a year of happiness, peace, and prosperity in 2026!

Yours sincerely,

Zhiyong Gu
Professor and Department Chair

The department also welcomes Dr. Peter Pawlicki as our new lab manager and Dr. Thabit Abuqudaira as a visiting teaching professor. Dr. Pawlicki joins the department after many years of industrial experience, working at large corporates such as Dupont and Lockheed Martin. Dr. Abuqudaira joins the department after obtaining his Ph.D. degree at Texas A&M. We are excited to have them as part of the community.  

Governor Healey has recently announced to launch an effort to develop advanced nuclear and fusion energy roadmaps in collaboration with UMass Lowell. The effort, led by Dr. Sukesh Aghara, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Associate Dean of Research, will look at the distinct attributes and regulatory paradigms of advanced nuclear and fusion energy technologies and lay the foundation for further research, manufacturing and, ultimately, deployment of these technologies, to help affordably, reliably and sustainably meet increasing electricity demand in New England.

Three Chemical Engineering students, senior Ethan Ayotte and junior Hilde Axelson and Brady Devlin, were among the 11 Engineering undergraduates selected as the Shah Academy Scholars. Besides $5,000 annual scholarships, the highly selective award provides matching with alumni mentors, professional development workshops, and networking events. The goal is to foster UMass Lowell Engineering students to become future industry leaders.

Soth was one of 19 local high school students who landed paid six-week internships in UMass Lowell labs this past summer through the university’s Professional Research Opportunities to Prepare for Engineering and Life Sciences (PROPEL) Careers Program. He also received the best poster award when he presented his findings at the end of the program. 

Jiangsong Qin, PhD student in Dr. Dongming Xie's group, won the Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Division (Division 15) oral presentation competition at last Fall's AIChE Annual Meeting. His presentation, entitled "Producing Eicosapentaenoic Acid from Waste Cooking Oil Using Yarrowia Lipolytica", is one of the 15 presentations selected out of 125 competitors. Congratulations!