Wilfred Chen, Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware, receives the AIChE Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Division Award for Chemical Engineering.
UD Engineering professor recognized for work in protein engineering, synthetic biology
Wilfred Chen joined UD in 2011 as the Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering. He was previously a Presidential Chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Riverside. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his doctoral degree in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Two shelves in Chen’s office are lined with “Star Wars” movie memorabilia. Not long ago, the protein engineering research that takes place in his laboratory could have been the subject of science fiction, too. Chen develops technologies to modify proteins and DNAs in beneficial ways for applications that range from human health to sustainable energy. This includes novel uses of DNA computing and CRISPR Cas9, technologies of growing interest in synthetic biology. For example, Chen’s team has developed a technology to program strands of DNA into switches that turn proteins on and off — an innovation that could lead to the development of new cancer therapies and other drugs. In recognition of his contributions to the field, Chen will receive the 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Division Award in Chemical Engineering at the 2018 AIChE Annual Meeting.