Biography

Jonathan S. Dordick

Prof. Dordick received his B.A. degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry from Brandeis University and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Biochemical Engineering. In 1987, Dr. Dordick joined the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Iowa. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1991, to Full Professor in 1994, and served as Department Chair from 1995-1998. He was also Associate Director of the Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing at the University of Iowa and held a joint position in the Department of Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry in the College of Pharmacy. In 1998, Prof. Dordick joined the faculty at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering where he is also the Howard P. Isermann Professor of Biochemical Engineering. Prof. Dordick's research interests are broadly in the areas of enzyme technology and polymer chemistry. This includes enzymatic catalysis under extreme conditions (e.g., in the presence of organic solvents and in high salt concentrations), enzymes in the synthesis and modification of polymeric materials, combinatorial biocatalysis for drug discovery and polymer synthesis, and the generation of biocatalysts and biomimetics with unique activities and selectivities. Prof. Dordick received the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award in 1989, a University of Iowa Faculty Scholars Award, and was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers in 1996. He is highly active in the biotechnology community, serving as Chairman of the Division of Biochemical Technology of the ACS in 1992, and presently he serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards for several biotechnology companies. Dr. Dordick is a co-founder of EnzyMed, Inc. a pharmaceutical and agrochemical discovery company. Dr. Dordick has published 118 papers and is an inventor/co-inventor on 14 patents.