Yomaira Pagán-Torres 

Principal Investigator

co-PI UPR-UW Center for Advancing Research & Training for STEM Success 

Professor of Chemical Engineering 

University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez

Pagán-Torres received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011, under the guidance of James Dumesic. At UW, her research focused on developing catalytic technologies for biomass conversion. Before her academic position at UPR, she worked as Senior Engineer for Dow in the Feedstocks and Alternative Technologies R&D group in Freeport, Texas. 

Her research work focuses on designing catalytic materials to selectively activate functional groups in carbon-based feedstocks such as biomass, carbon dioxide, and waste plastics to produce platform chemicals and monomers. Her contributions to reseach and teaching have been recognized with the UPRM College of Engineering Distinguished Professor Award in 2017 and 2020. She has also been awarded the 2024 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Mid-Career Researcher recognition in Catalysis and Reaction Engineering for her work in catalysis for sustainability. She also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for the ACS journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 

Pagán-Torres is committed to providing guidance, support, and mentorship to aspiring young scientists and engineers as they make career decisions and explore research avenues. She is also passionate about increasing the participation of women and minority students in science and engineering.