October 2, 2025
The MIT Chemical Engineering Department is pleased to announce that through a generous gift from alumnus Pablo Debenedetti SM ’81, PhD ’85, Class of 1950 Professor of Engineering and Applied Science, Emeritus, at Princeton University, and his wife Silvia Strauss-Debenedetti, the Department has established the Sergio I. Debenedetti Fund to support graduate student travel to professional conferences.
The fund honors the memory of Professor Debenedetti’s father, Sergio I. Debenedetti (1921–2015), an Italian civil engineer whose life journey—from exile during Mussolini’s racial laws to a successful professional career in Argentina—was defined by resilience, opportunity, and a deep belief in the power of education.
This gift celebrates Sergio’s legacy and provides MIT Chemical Engineering graduate students with opportunities to share research, build professional networks, and represent the Department on the global stage. In today’s environment, when the costs of professional travel can present a significant barrier, this type of support is especially vital. By enabling students to exchange ideas and collaborate across disciplines and borders, the fund not only advances their personal and professional development but also helps accelerate innovations that benefit society as a whole.
The fund will be administered by MIT ChemE’s Graduate Student Advisory Board through an application process. More details can be found at https://cheme.mit.edu/gsab-travel-resources/.
We are deeply grateful to the Debenedetti family for their generosity and vision in supporting the next generation of chemical engineers.
About Sergio I. Debenedetti
Sergio Isaia Debenedetti (1921–2015) was an Italian civil engineer. He was born and grew up in a Jewish family in Turin. In 1938, Mussolini’s racial laws forced him out of public high school, and together with his sister and parents he emigrated to Argentina in 1939. He thus escaped the tragic fate that befell so many Italian Jews after 1943, when Nazi Germany occupied central and northern Italy. Sergio studied civil engineering at the University of Buenos Aires, and in 1946 he married Francine Lehmann, with whom he had two children, Claudio and Pablo. Sergio spent his entire professional career in Argentina, for many years as co-owner of the construction company Amerital Construcciones, and later as an executive in the procurement office at the Techint Engineering and Construction Company. He instilled in his sons a passion for learning and a profound belief in the unique power of education to improve lives. Pablo Debenedetti SM ’81, PhD ’85, and his wife Silvia Strauss-Debenedetti are honored to establish the Sergio I. Debenedetti Fund to support conference travel for MIT’s Chemical Engineering graduate students, in loving memory of an extraordinary person.