Conferencistas

Dr. Sourav Sengupta, a DuPont Laureate, has been with DuPont for over 30 years. He received his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware in 1991. Throughout his career, he has made significant business impact across DuPont and technical contributions in the field of catalytic science and technology. He has invented, innovated, and implemented a plethora of new processes and products including, a cheaper and inherently safer process for the synthesis of an aramid monomer; a modular, on-site HCN manufacturing process by reacting methane and ammonia in the presence of a Pt-Rh gauze catalyst using induction heating; a novel fixed bed hydrogenation reactor technology to manufacture a key intermediate used in the synthesis of Sevoflurane; an inhalation anesthetic; and a higher activity sulfuric acid catalyst. 

A collaborative leader and a great team player, Sourav knows how to get results by solving plant and process-related problems, combining an in-depth knowledge of the fundamentals of science with a keen and meticulous sense of detail. More recently, Sourav and his team have worked on sustainable chemical manufacturing processes and invented many biomass hydrodeoxygenation catalysts for converting cellulose-derived molecules to alpha-omega diols by optimizing bicomponent cooperativity in surface reactions and harnessing the influence of water to reduce activation barriers. Furthermore, they also resolved a challenging catalyst deactivation problem for furan hydrogenation reaction and improved catalyst productivity in the Bio-THF process. 

Sourav is well recognized internally and externally as an innovator, a problem-solver, and a world-class expert in the field of catalysis and reaction engineering. His seminal work in heterogeneous catalysis, particularly in hydrogenation, hydrodeoxygenation, and hydrogen cyanide synthesis, has had far-reaching influence, as is evident from the sheer volume of his publications and the invited lectures he has given in his long and illustrious career in DuPont. He has over 90 issued and provisional US patents, publications in peer-reviewed journals, a book chapter, and invited lectures and presentations at national and international conferences. In addition to his work at DuPont, he has been recognized as a world class expert in the catalysis community, as exemplified by his receiving the Philadelphia Catalysis Club Award (2015) and F. G. Ciapetta Lectureship in Catalysis by the North American Catalysis Society (2022).

In 2020, Dr. Sengupta was honored with the appointment of DuPont Laureate, which is the highest level for technological achievement in DuPont.