Jonathan Dordick, the Howard P. Isermann ’42 Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer, will receive the Amgen Biochemical and Molecular Engineering Award at the ECI Conference on Biochemical and Molecular Engineering in Quebec, Canada, this July.

The award, supported by the biotechnology company Amgen Inc., is given in memory of biochemical engineering pioneer James E. Bailey to recognize research excellence and leadership in biomedical and molecular engineering. 

Dordick, who is also a professor of biomedical engineering and biological sciences and former vice president for research at Rensselaer, has made extensive contributions to the fields of biochemical and molecular engineering.

Dordick has been a pioneer in the use of enzymes for material synthesis, developing biomolecular tools leading to better and safer drugs, and even using nature’s ability to control microbial systems by selectively killing specific bacteria. For example, Dordick and his team integrated bacteria-killing enzymes into paints and coatings so that they could be spread on a surface and eliminate specific pathogenic bacteria.

His work in the area of microscale cell engineering has led to improved drug discovery methods by helping to identify whether a molecule is toxic to human cells, and, ultimately, to humans. This work has the potential to support the creation of more personalized pharmaceuticals. His developments in this area are also aimed at studying stem cells and improving regenerative medicine.

Dordick’s research group has recently moved into the field of biologics, developing viral vectors at scale to enable gene therapy applications. Through this work and others, he is focused on optimizing biomanufacturing processes for both small molecules and biopharmaceuticals.

Dordick has received several previous awards including the Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Marvin J. Johnson Award and Elmer Gaden Award from the American Chemical Society, the International Enzyme Engineering Award, and an NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award.

He is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers.

Dordick has cofounded several companies, including EnzyMed, Solidus Biosciences Inc., and Redpin Therapeutics.