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McBrayer Chair in Chemical Engineering established

Posted 8/3/2009

Recognized for his work in the field of fuel cell membranes and electrochemical engineering, Professor Peter N. Pintauro, chair of the chemical and biomolecular engineering department, is the first holder the H. Eugene McBrayer Chair in Chemical Engineering in the School of Engineering.

 An event to introduce Pintauro as holder of the new McBrayer chair and to honor the benefactor, H. Eugene McBrayer, retired president of Exxon Chemical, was held in June at Vanderbilt.

Gene McBrayer graduated from Vanderbilt in 1954 with a B.E. in chemical engineering. Following graduation he joined the Esso Standard Oil Company and for the next 38 years made his career with that organization, which is now ExxonMobil Corporation, Fortune 500’s No. 1 largest American corporation in 2009.

During McBrayer’s recent visit to Vanderbilt he toured Pintauro’s lab. “Their fuel cell membrane research effort is quite impressive. Peter and his research associates are a great team,” said McBrayer, who added that he and Pintauro both share the belief that “chemical engineering and electrochemistry will play a major role in the world's energy future.”

“I am truly honored to have been chosen as the inaugural holder of the H. Eugene McBrayer Chair in Chemical Engineering. Endowed professorships have both practical significance and symbolic importance at universities and they underscore our highest ideals,” Pintauro said.

Pintauro said endowed professorships are powerful instruments for recruiting and retaining the very best faculty and in this regard they are key elements in the process of university-led discovery, innovation and teaching.

Pintauro plans to use the McBrayer endowment funds to support his research in electrochemical engineering and membrane science and to expand his work into new areas. “A portion of the McBrayer funds will be used to support high school and undergraduate interns in my lab and visiting scholars during the summer,” he said.

Pintauro’s research work is focused on developing new membranes for hydrogen/air, direct methanol and alkaline fuel cells; modeling species transport in ion-exchange membranes; and investigating electrochemical methods for organic synthesis. The biggest impact of this research will be to improve the power output of fuel cells, which will lead to less expensive fuel cells.
     
Pintauro, who has won numerous awards for teaching and research, was named chair of the chemical and biomolecular engineering department at Vanderbilt in 2008.

 Contact:  Brenda Ellis, (615) 343-6314
brenda.ellis@vanderbilt.edu

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