Charles L. Cooney

Dr. Cooney is the Robert T. Haslam (1911) Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering in the MIT Department of Chemical Engineering and the founding Faculty Director of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation. He has published over 250 research papers, holds over 25 patents and has co-authored or edited five books. Among his many honors, Dr. Cooney has received the 1989 Gold Medal of the Institute of Biotechnological Studies (London); the Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers; and the James Van Lanen Distinguished Service Award from the American Chemical Society's Division of Microbial and Biochemical Technology. He was elected to the American Institute of Medical and Biochemical Engineers and in 2009 was elected to the first class of American Chemical Society Fellows. In July 2012 he was awarded Honoris Causa by Ramon Llull University in Barcelona. Dr. Cooney serves as a consultant to a number of biotech and pharmaceutical companies, is on the editorial boards of multiple professional journals, sits on the Boards of Directors of Polypore International, Inc., LS9, Inc., Mitra (India), GreenLight Bioscience, Prontria, Inc. and Biocon, Ltd (India) and was previously on the Boards of Genzyme, Cuno, Inc., Pall Corp. and Astra AB. He chaired the FDA Advisory Committee for Pharmaceutical Science from 2004-2006. He received his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania (1966) and his Master's (1967) and Ph.D. (1970) degrees in Biochemical Engineering from MIT. Dr. Cooney is a Trustee Emeriti of Boston Ballet, and an Overseer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, his other interests include rock climbing, skiing, high altitude mountaineering (with assents of Denali, Ama Dablam, Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro, and Huascaran), scuba diving and antique map collecting.