Prof. You has been selected to receive two 2026 awards from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the world’s leading organization for chemical engineering professionals, with members from more than 110 countries. Both awards will be officially presented at the 2026 AIChE Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in November 2026.
Prof. You is the recipient of the 2026 David Himmelblau Award for Innovations in Computer-Based Chemical Engineering Education, presented by the Computing and Systems Technology (CAST) Division of AIChE. The award recognizes an individual or group making new and novel contributions to computer aids for chemical engineering education, with a significant contribution within the past decade. Prof. You is being recognized for contributions to computer-based chemical engineering education, including online open textbooks for computational optimization and for chemical process design, as well as innovative AI curriculum development. These open-education initiatives include the Cornell University Computational Optimization Open Textbook and the Chemical Process Design Open Textbook, developed with hundreds of student contributors and accessed by students, researchers, and practicing engineers worldwide. The award will be presented at the CAST Division Dinner during the Annual Meeting.
Prof. You also received the 2026 Professional Achievement Award for Innovations in Green Process Engineering. The award recognizes outstanding professional achievement in advancing innovations in green process engineering for sustainable energy and the environment. Prof. You was recognized for his achievements in life cycle engineering to advance credible and decision-relevant sustainability analysis, a body of work developed with generations of PEESE graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators. He has been invited to give a plenary presentation on AI for Sustainability at the Annual Meeting on November 10, 2026.