Kate Ziemer

Kate Ziemer, Ph.D., is a professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1989. Kate had seven years of industrial experience as a chemical engineer with DuPont prior to earning her Ph.D. in chemical engineering from West Virginia University in 2001. She joined Northeastern University in April of 2001. In addition to maintaining an active research program and teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses, Kate has served her department and college as Undergraduate Program Chair, ABET Coordinator, Graduate Program Chair, and, most recently, as Vice-Chair of the Chemical Engineering Department.

Kate’s research studies fundamental mechanisms of the growth and processing of thin films and nanostructures, literally at the atomic scale, with the aim to create next-generation electronic devices based on multifunctional materials to address the challenges of renewable and sustainable energy, medical diagnostics and treatments, and environmental monitoring and protection. She has 70 refereed publications and over 110 presentations on both educational and research topics. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, NASA and industry sources. She is a past member of the Board of Directors of AIChE, the global professional society of chemical engineers, and is currently the Chair of AIChE’s Societal Impact Operating Council.