TROY, N.Y. — Jonathan Dordick, the Howard P. Isermann ’42 Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been selected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dordick is one of 308 newly selected fellows recognized for their efforts to advance science or its applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished, according to AAAS. The announcement was made in today’s issue of Science.

In the announcement, AAAS cites Dordick for “fundamental discoveries in biocatalysis, drug discovery, and biomolecular science and engineering, resulting in new products and processes that benefit society.” AAAS will honor the new fellows at its annual meeting on Feb. 19, 2005 in Washington, D.C.

“Professor Dordick’s work to speed the drug-discovery process could have a profound effect on health care globally, and his work at the nexus of the life sciences and engineering is opening new pathways to discovery,” said Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and AAAS President Shirley Ann Jackson. “Selection as an AAAS fellow is an honor well deserved. Professor Dordick’s leadership is recognized nationally and at Rensselaer, where he works to prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers and is actively involved with the Institute’s emergence in biotechnology research.”

Dordick is leading a multi-university research team in a drug-discovery project that was recently awarded a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). His current research includes using enzyme technology to produce unique chemical structures that accelerate the drug-discovery process. Dordick is also the co-director of an NIH-funded biomolecular training program for doctoral students.

Dordick is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers, a former chair of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Biochemical Technology, and a scientific advisory board member for several biotechnology companies. He is an associate editor for Biotechnology and Bioengineering and a member of the following editorial boards: Enzyme and Microbial Technology, Journal of Polymers and the Environment, and Metabolic Engineering. He received the National Science Foundation (NSF) Presidential Young Investigator Award in 1989 and the International Enzyme Engineering Award in 2003.

Dordick joined the Rensselaer faculty in 1998 and holds joint appointments in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Department of Biology. He earned a doctorate in biochemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and chemistry from Brandeis University.

About AAAS
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. AAAS was founded in 1848, and serves some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of one million. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, and more.

Contact: Tiffany Lohwater
Phone: (518) 276-6542
E-mail: lohwat@rpi.edu