William F. Schneider, the H. Clifford and Evelyn A. Brosey Professor of Engineering, has been appointed the new chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering beginning July 1, 2020.
He succeeds Edward J. Maginn, the Dorini Family Professor of Energy Studies, who has served as department chair for the last eight years and who will return to the faculty.
According to Thomas E. Fuja, interim dean of the College of Engineering, “Professor Schneider is one of the college’s most prolific and highly regarded researchers. He enjoys a reputation as an outstanding teacher and an engaged citizen of the department and his profession.”
Schneider is a global leader in the development of molecular-scale computational models and predictions of chemical reactivity. His work has led to a deeper understanding of chemical bonding patterns and reactions at solid surfaces, predictions of catalytic reaction mechanisms, and quantitative representations of catalytic reaction rates — all of which aid in the design of more efficient catalytic systems for environmental protection and energy processes.
He is committed to the education of undergraduate and graduate students and serves his professional community as an executive editor of The Journal of Physical Chemistry.
Schneider received his Ph.D. in chemistry from The Ohio State University in 1991 and spent 13 years at the Ford Motor Company before joining the Notre Dame faculty as an associate professor in 2004. He was promoted to full professor in 2009. In 2016, he was named the H. Clifford and Evelyn A. Brosey Professor of Engineering.
— Nina Welding, College of Engineering