Community Status: Faculty

Kristala L. Jones Prather

Research Interests

metabolic engineering, biochemical engineering, bioprocess engineering, synthetic biology

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1999

S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1994

Publications

Honors and Awards

Elected, Member of the National Academy of Engineering, 2025

MIT, Committed to Caring (C2C) Award, 2023-25

AIChE’s Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering, 2021

Gordon Y. Billard Award, 2021

Fellow of the AAAS, 2018

MLK Leadership Award, 2017

Fellow, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, 2014-15

MacVicar Faculty Fellow, 2014

Biochemical Engineering Journal Young Investigator Award, 2011

MIT School of Engineering Junior Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2010

National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2010

Technology Review “TR35” Young Innovator, 2007

Outstanding Faculty Award for Undergraduate Teaching, 2006

Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, 2005

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation New Faculty Award, 2004

Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, 1998

UNCF-Merck Science Initiative Graduate Fellowship, 1996

NOBCChE/DuPont Graduate Fellowship Award, 1996

NDSEG Fellowship, 1994

Robert T. Haslam Cup ChemE Dept, MIT, 1994

Karl Taylor Compton Prize, MIT, 1994

NSBE Distinguished Fellow, 1994

Arup K. Chakraborty

Research Interests

immunology, regulation of transcription, statistical mechanics

Education

Ph.D., University of Delaware, 1988

B. of Tech., Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, 1983

Publications

Honors and Awards

AIChE’s Alpha Chi Sigma Award, 2025

James Swan Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, Chemical Engineering Department, MIT, 2023

Doctor of Science Honoris Causa, University of Chicago, 2023

APS Max Delbrück Prize in Biological Physics, 2023

Honorary Doctorate of Science, University of Delaware, 2022

John M. Deutch Institute Professor, MIT, 2021

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, Chemical Engineering Department, MIT, 2021

John M. Prausnitz Institute Lecturer, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2021

Schiesser Distinguished Lecture, Lehigh University, 2020

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, Chemical Engineering Department, MIT, 2020

Inaugural annual IMES Founder’s Lecture, 2019

Doctor of Engineering honoris causa, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (awarded 2019, conferred 2020)

Guggenheim Fellowship, 2018

Moore Distinguished Scholar, Caltech, 2018

Elected, Member of the National Academy of Medicine, 2017

Arthur D. Little Lectures, MIT, 2017

Elected, Member of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016

Richard S. Mah Lectures, Northwestern University, 2016

Berman Memorial Lectures in Medical Physics, George Washington University, 2014

Weaver Lectures in Biophysics, UC Davis, 2014

David Ollis Lectures in Chemical Engineering, NC State University, 2013

Britton Chance Lectures in Engineering & Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 2012

Outstanding Graduate Teaching award, Chemical Engineering department, MIT, 2012

Bayer Lectures, University of Pittsburgh, 2012

Lacey Lectures, Caltech, 2011

Katz Lectures, CCNY, 2010

Raman Memorial Lectures, India, 2009

Outstanding Graduate Teaching award, Chemical Engineering department, MIT, 2009

Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2008

Distinguished Alumnus Award, Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, 2008

Elected, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2007

E.O. Lawrence Award for Life Sciences, DOE, 2007

NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, 2006

Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement, University of Delaware, 2005

Wilber Lecture, Rice University, 2005

Doraiswamy Lecturer, Iowa State Univ. and National Chemical Laboratory, India, 2005

Dept. of Chem. Eng. Teaching Award, UC Berkeley, 2005

Engineering Foundation Endowed Lectureship, U.T. Austin, 2005

Elected, Member of the National Academy of Engineering, 2004

Professional Progress Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2004

Merck Collaboratus Lectures, Rutgers University, 2004

Trotter Lecturer, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2004

Chemcon Distinguished Lecturer Award, Bhubaneswar, India, 2003

Robert W. Vaughan Memorial Lecturer, Caltech, 2000

Research Professor, Miller Institute for Basic Science, Berkeley, 1999-2000

Featured Speaker, NAE Frontiers of Engineering Meeting, 1999

Allan P. Colburn Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1996

Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 1994

AIChE, Berkeley Student Chapter, Appreciation for Distinguished Teaching, 1996-97

National Young Investigator Award, 1992-1997

Allan P. Colburn Memorial Lecture, University of Delaware, 1993

Royal Academy of Engineering (U.K.), ICI Fellowship, 1993- 1998

Shell Young Faculty Fellow, 1989-1992

Best Review Paper, Intnl. Conference on Polymer/Solid Interfaces, Belgium, 1991

Robert E. Cohen

Research Interests

physics and chemistry of polymers, polymer surfaces/interfaces, structure-property relationships

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow, Oxford University, 1972-1973

Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 1972

M.S., California Institute of Technology, 1970

B.S., Cornell University, 1968

Publications

Honors and Awards

Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2015

ACS’s Paul J. Flory Polymer Education Award, 2012

Fellow, Materials Research Society, 2010

Elected to the National Academy of Engineering, 2010

Capers and Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Mentoring & Advising, MIT School of Engineering, 2006

Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2005

Fellow, American Physical Society, 2004

Charles M. A. Stine Award, AIChE, 2000

GenCorp Signature University Award, 1999

Society of Plastics Eng. Best Paper Award, Montreal RETEC, 1997

Shell Distinguished Lecturer, Northwestern University, 1996

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher and Scholar Award, 1987

R. W. Vaughan Memorial Lecturer, Caltech, 1984

Harold and Esther E. Edgerton Assistant Professor, MIT, 1975, 1977

DuPont Young Faculty Award, ChemE Dept., MIT, 1974