November 9, 2020
Prof. Lindsay Soh Receives Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award
By Bryan Hay
Lindsay Soh, Kate and Walter A. Scott ’59 Scholar in Engineering and associate professor of chemical and biomechanical engineering, has received a 2020 Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award for her work in designing sustainable biorefinery products and processes using green chemistry and engineering.
Soh was one of eight scholars to receive the award from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, which honors young faculty in the chemical sciences who have created an outstanding independent body of scholarship and are deeply committed to education with undergraduates. Each Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar receives an unrestricted research grant of $75,000.
Note: Image was taken prior to mask-wearing and social-distancing protocols.
“I am honored to receive this award,” Soh said. “Throughout my time at Lafayette I have strived to bring new research and teaching ideas to fruition. In the everyday activities and busy rush of the semester, it is sometimes hard to see the outcomes of my hard work. This award is extremely validating and motivates me to continuously endeavor towards new goals.”
She said the grant will help to support her proposed research in the next five years.
“The overall objective of my research program is to utilize biological feedstocks in order to efficiently manufacture renewable fuels and chemicals that are designed for minimal impact over the entire product life cycle,” Soh said.
Soh’s current and future research plans will build upon her experience and expertise in green chemistry/engineering, biomass processing, separations, and process design. Her plan is to use a fundamental approach toward understanding and implementing these tools for biorefining, with a specific focus on green solvents.
“This plan builds upon, yet is substantially divergent from, my previous research,” she said. “Having these funds will be helpful as I start on this new path and pursue ideas that may take several years to mature.”
