Menachem Elimelech, the Sterling Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Yale University, has been awarded the Connecticut Technology Award, the state's highest honor for technological achievement.
The award was announced by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE).
Elimelech, a faculty member at the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was recognized for his pioneering development of energy-efficient and sustainable membrane-based desalination technologies and brine and industrial wastewater management technologies.
He is an international authority who has revolutionized the field of environmental engineering, especially in these areas.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said Elimelech's research demonstrates the state's role as a global technology leader. “Dr. Elimelech's pioneering research has not only deepened the academic community's understanding of highly complex topics, but also led to innovative approaches to addressing critical environmental problems and generated industrial growth. ” he said.
Jeffrey Block, dean of the Yale School of Engineering, said the honor reflects both Elimelech's broad international scientific reputation and his commitment to improving the world.
““Yale Engineering has long made finding solutions to major environmental problems an important part of its mission,” Block said. “Professor Elimelech's research is an important step toward understanding how to ensure and sustain access to clean drinking water for people around the world.”
Elimelech's research focuses on a variety of membrane-related processes for water desalination, brine management, and other applications.
His groundbreaking work on forward osmosis, the use of membranes to filter water, had a major impact on the desalination and water industries. He was a co-founder of Oasis Water, a company that commercialized ammonia-carbon dioxide forward osmosis desalination technology. More than 13 new forward osmosis membrane startup companies have been founded as a result of his pioneering research.
In a recent breakthrough, Elimelech showed that a model that has been used for more than 50 years to describe water transport in reverse osmosis membranes is fundamentally flawed. He proposed another mechanism and theory. This discovery has direct implications for the design of high-performance desalination membranes.
Elimelech received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his doctorate from the University of Jerusalem. He received his bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1989. In his first appointment, Elimelech served as professor and associate dean of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCLA. He joined Yale in 1998 as director and founder of the university's environmental engineering program, as well as the Llewelyn West Jones Professor of Chemical Engineering. In 2005, he was appointed Roberto C. Goizueta Professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Yale University.
In 2021, he was appointed Stirling Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, the university's highest degree. He became the first engineering professor at Yale to earn this honor.
His major awards include the International Water Association (IWA) Membrane Technology Award (2023). Honorary Doctorate from Ben-Gurion University, Israel (2023). Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Water Prize (2023). his Eni Award in the “Environmental Protection” category – considered by many to be the Nobel Prize of the energy/environment sector – (2015). American Society of Civil Engineers Simon W. Freese Environmental Engineering Award and Lecture (2011). American Society of Chemical Engineers Lawrence K. Cecil Environmental Chemical Engineering Award (2008). Atalie Richardson Irvin Clark Award, National Institute of Water Research (2005).
Elimelech has been elected to the Canadian Academy of Engineering (2022). Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (2021). Chinese Academy of Engineering (2017). Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (2007). and U.S. National Academy of Engineering (2006).
In addition to Mr. Elimelech, the state also awarded ARKA Group the Technical Medal in recognition of ARKA Group's 60 years of work in optics and other technologies.
