We are pleased to announce that Professor Arthur Chan (ChemE) has been appointed as Full Professor, effective July 1, 2025, following a successful senior promotions review. This promotion recognizes Chan’s exceptional contributions to research, teaching, and service within our department and the wider academic community.
Chan holds a BS from the University of Pennsylvania and an MS and PhD from the California Institute of Technology. Since joining the department in 2013, he has made significant strides in understanding emerging sources of air pollution, helped communities and policymakers better assess the environmental impacts of wildfires, and discovered new mechanisms of particulate matter formation and chemical reactions. His dedication has been recognized with accolades such as the Bill Burgess Teacher of the Year for Large Classes (2016) and the FASE Early Career Teaching Award (2019). Notably, he developed a student-driven experiential learning project in CHE230, focusing on environmental air quality measurement.
Reflecting on his mentoring philosophy, Chan emphasizes empowering students with the technical and professional skills crucial for their scientific careers. He attributes much of his success to the support of his graduate students, postdocs, and department colleagues.
“I have been extremely fortunate to collaborate with dedicated students and postdocs,” says Chan. “This promotion is a testament to their achievements as much as my own.”
He also highlights the collaborative spirit of his discipline: “In our field, there’s a deeply rooted culture of collaborating to address complex challenges — and I’ve been fortunate to experience that firsthand here.
“I am also very thankful for all the support, advice, and mentoring from department colleagues over the years, particularly Professors Grant Allen and Ramin Farnood as department chairs.”
Looking ahead, Chan plans to explore novel sources of air pollution, launch community-focused air quality initiatives, incorporate more environmental sustainability topics into the Chemical Engineering curriculum, and continue to help foster a collaborative environment within the department.
We are pleased to celebrate Chan’s promotion and extend our heartfelt appreciation for his continued contributions to the department.