The National Academy of Engineering has elected Benny Freeman, a professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, to the academy for 2023.
Election to the academy is among the highest professional distinctions bestowed upon an engineer. Membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research and practice, including pioneering new and developing fields of technology and making major advancements in the engineering field and profession. In all, 106 new members and 18 foreign members joined the NAE in 2023.
“Throughout his career, Benny has been a pioneer in the understanding, design and engineering of membrane materials for both water purification and gas separation, and Fariborz’s leadership in the development of microelectromechanical systems and software advancements has had a significant impact on society,” said Roger Bonnecaze, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering. “We are extremely proud to call them Texas Engineers, and we join them today in celebrating this well-deserved honor.”
During the past decade, more than 15 UT Austin professors have been elected as new members to the academy. The university has nearly 50 current and retired members.
About the new members representing UT Austin:
Benny D. Freeman holds the William J. (Bill) Murray, Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at UT Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering. He is being recognized for the development of polymeric membranes for gas separation, ion transport and gas and water purification. He is the director of the Cockrell School’s Center for Materials for Water and Energy Systems, a U.S. Department of Energy research center focused on membrane-based approaches and materials for purifying water. Freeman joined UT Austin in 2002 after 13 years as a chemical engineering faculty member at North Carolina State University.
The University of Texas at Austin, Cockrell School of Engineering News