Po-Yen Receives 2022 John C. Chen Young Professional Leadership Scholarship

University of Maryland (UMD) Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Assistant Professor Po-Yen Chen was selected for a 2022 John C. Chen Young Professional Leadership Scholarship by American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the world's leading organization for chemical engineering professionals. Only two recipients are selected each year, and the scholarship provides access to several leadership and professional development programs.

Po-Yen is an affiliate faculty member in the Maryland Robotics Center (MRC), and his research focuses on the intersections of nanomaterials self-assembly, artificial intelligence, and robot–human teaming. Po-Yen’s lab aims to automate the discovery of functional materials by via artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) and flexible robotic technologies.

By implementing emerging active learning frameworks with robot-aided experiments, high-accuracy prediction models can be constructed to accelerate the development of various functional materials for a wide range of applications, including soft electronics, sustainable plastic substitutes, piezoresistive aerogels, smart soft robots, etc. By further implementing data augmentation and statistical analyses, Po-Yen can uncover the elusive recipe–structure–functionality correlations using a more efficient approach based on machine learning/robotic automation.

He received a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from National Taiwan University (NTU) and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After completing his Ph.D., he received a Hibbitt Early Career Fellowship and served as an independent researcher and a lecturer at Brown University for two years.

In 2020, Po-Yen was recognized as one of their Innovators Under 35 in Asia by MIT Technology Review and received AIChE 35 under 35 Award. Most recently, he was selected as an Innovative Early-Career Engineer from the National Academy of Engineering for their annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium.

He is currently the chair of AIChE’s National Capital Section (NCS) and provides local members with opportunities to build professional relationships while updating and sharing their knowledge about subjects of interest to Chemical Engineers.

The John C. Chen Young Professional Leadership Scholarship was established to support the leadership development of young professional chemical engineers and selected professionals participate in the PEAK Leadership Training Program.

Published November 8, 2022