Seth Snyder

Seth W. Snyder, Ph.D. received a B.A. from University of Pennsylvania in Chemistry and Environmental Studies (1980), a M.S. in Physical Chemistry (1985) and a Ph.D. in Biophysics (1989) from the University of Virginia.  He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Argonne National Laboratory in Photosynthesis.  In 1998, he joined Abbott Laboratories, first in Alzheimer’s Disease Research and later in Pharmaceutical Discovery Research and achieved the title of Senior Research Biochemist.  In 1998, Seth rejoined Argonne as the Associate Director of the Chemistry Division where he developed new programs in nanoscience and applied biotechnology.  In 2001, he joined the Energy Systems Division as the Section Leader of Chemical and Biological Technology and now Process Technology Research.  His team develops new process technologies ranging from tree growth through conversion technologies and product separations.  The goal is to improve energy efficiency in production of biofuels and biobased products, CO₂ capture, and water treatment. In other technology areas, his team works on plastic recycling, PV materials, geothermal energy, and now battery materials.

He serves as the President of the Council for Chemical Research.  He serves as Argonne’s Lab Relationship Manager for the DOE Office of the Biomass Program.  He serves on the advisory board for several academic centers including: the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s “Center for Advanced Bioenergy Research”, South Dakota’s “Center for Bioprocessing Research”, and the NSF “Center for Bioenergy R&D”.  He has an adjunct faculty position in chemical engineering at Northwestern University, where he will teach a 2012 graduate level course in bioenergy.  He has affiliate appointments at the University of Chicago’s “Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology”, the U of C – Booth School of Business’s “Energy Initiative”, and the UIUC “Institute for Genomics Biology”.  He has published about fifty papers, has twelve patents (issued and pending), has presented or co-authored his research at 75 conferences over the past nine years.  He has received three R&D 100 awards and an Outstanding Mentor Award from the DOE FAST Program.  He serves as a Commissioner of Economic Development for the Village of Lincolnwood, as an early morning jazz DJ at Northwestern University’s WNUR, and has hosted dozens of students for the Niles Township High School District’s Job Shadowing program.