Dr. Jamil Baghdachi of Eastern Michigan University (EMU), College of Technology, Department of Polymers and Coatings will receive the Roy W. Tess Award in Coatings for 2015. The announcement was made by the Officers and the Award Committee of the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) of the American Chemical Society.
Dr. Baghdachi began his industrial career in 1983 at ARCO Chemical Company where he invented methods (3 US Patents) to convert commercially available poly(butadiene) polyols to poly(butadiene) polyamines which are primarily used as co-reactants for polyisocyanates to custom tailor materials for a variety of end uses without a need for catalysts. In 1987 Dr. Baghdachi continued his industrial career at the BASF Corporation in Southfield, MI. as Technical Manager, OEM Coatings where he invented moisture cure-polysiloxane compositions (7 US Patents and foreign counterparts) which do not involve free isocyanate and refined the technology for a variety of commercial applications. In 1997 he joined Eastern Michigan University’s Department of Polymer and Coatings, where he has been involved in a demanding mixture of teaching, research, service to EMU and industry, and administration, with research well-funded by grants and contracts.
Dr. Baghdachi was the 2014 Chair of the PMSE Division of ACS after serving as PMSE Secretary, Vice Chair and Chair Elect. At Eastern Michigan University Prof. Baghdachi has pioneered work in the application of stimuli responsive materials in coatings and in the broad area of “Emerging Technologies” and “Smart Polymers and Coatings” introducing new science and significantly impacting surface coatings technologies. Highlights of his ongoing research include: Invention of self-stratifying coatings for aircraft and automobiles (3 US Patents); development of self-healing polymers and coatings sponsored by US Army/US Air Force; and antimicrobial coatings funded by NIH and NSF and DoD. He has also been an active researcher in renewable resources, developing novel polymerization techniques to incorporate “green” chemistry. His expertise in corrosion, adhesion, and polymerization techniques has led to invaluable contributions to the industry, as well as his ability to provide his students the foundation to be successful in a very competitive industry.
At EMU Prof. Baghdachi has been intensely active in disseminating knowledge by teaching students in academe and students from
industry through short courses and symposia. He has organized the annual symposia “Smart Coatings” since 2005 and brought together leaders from the polymers, materials and coatings industries with leading scientists in related disciplines. The symposia were published in three American Chemical Society Symposium Series Books.
Dr. Baghdachi has already achieved a wide array of awards and honors for his contributions including Fellowship from the American Chemical Society (2014); American Coatings Association Industry Excellent Award 2012; Teaching Excellence Award, EMU 2011; Distinguished Research Award, EMU, 2010; and the Roon Foundation Best Paper Award from the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology, 2009. He is constantly sought as Keynote lecturer globally by organizations such as China Coat, European Coatings, German Chemical Society, Society of Automotive Engineers, Army Corrosion Summit, Mexican and South American Polymer and Coating Societies. Over the years he has been awarded a significant amount of patents, and has been published in many prestigious journals, which include the Journal of Coatings Technology Research, Progress in Organic Coatings, American Chemical Society Symposium Series, and the Journal of Organic Chemistry. Prof. Baghdachi has also authored “Adhesion Aspects of Polymeric Coatings 1997”; scores of coating application manuals and has written several chapters in books and most recently in “Functional Polymer Coatings” published by Wiley for which he is co-editor.
Dr. Baghdachi will receive the Tess Award from Dr. Sergio Granados-Focil, Chair of the PMSE Division, on Monday, August 16, 2015 during the 250th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, MA. An evening reception in honor of the Tess award recipient and other PMSE and POLY award winners also will be held.
The Tess Award is presented annually by the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering in recognition of outstanding contributions to coatings science, engineering and technology. It is funded by a grant to the Division from Dr. and Mrs. Roy W. Tess. The purpose of the award is to encourage interest and progress in coatings science technology and engineering and to recognize significant contributions to the field. The Award consists of a plaque and a $3000 cash prize.