Mark Shiflett

With the hiring of the final professor, Kansas University has filled its slate of a dozen Foundation Distinguished Professors.

The initiative, enabled by state funds, aimed to recruit 12 “eminent” faculty members — all leaders in their fields — to support the university’s strategic initiative themes.

The final professor, announced Tuesday, is Mark Shiflett. He’s scheduled to join the KU department of chemical and petroleum engineering in August and will conduct research at KU’s Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC), according to KU.

Unlike fellow Foundation Distinguished Professors, Shiflett has spent most of his career in industry instead of academia, with a heavy focus on inventing.

Since 1987 Shiflett has worked at DuPont, where he currently is a technical fellow for DuPont Central Research and Development.

Mark Shiflett

“Mark has been described as possessing a rare combination of talents that make him a world-class scientist, inventor, team leader and educator,” Interim Provost Sara Rosen said in a news release. “His ideas, insight and drive will elevate KU’s programs and propel our strategic theme to sustain the planet and power the world.”

Shiflett’s research interests center on separations, ionic liquids and green chemistry, according to KU.

His work has led to the development of three environmentally safe refrigerant mixtures for DuPont, one of which has generated more than $1 billion in revenue.

He holds 44 patents, has several patent applications pending, and recently founded a company that manufactures bio-derived lubricants and greases for the cycling industry, according to KU.

On the academic side, Shiflett has been an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware since 2011, teaching courses including chemical engineering laboratory classes and junior- and senior-level research courses, according to KU. He has published more than 70 scholarly articles and is a reviewer for a number of chemical engineering research journals.

He’s expected to apply both industry and academic experience at KU’s Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, which cites its mission as developing cost-competitive chemical manufacturing processes that prevent waste and conserve natural resources, using an industry-focused approach that helps push research discoveries toward commercialization.

“It is clear that he is an enthusiastic and dedicated teacher who is in significant demand at the University of Delaware,” KU Distinguished Professor and Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department Chair Laurence Weatherley said in KU’s news release. “He will bring valuable industrial and professional perspectives that benefit our students.”

Shiflett earned his doctorate and a master’s degree from the University of Delaware and his bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University, all in chemical engineering.

KU announced the hiring of its first Foundation Distinguished Professor in January 2014. David Roediger, professor of American studies and history, joined the KU faculty that fall.

KU Foundation Distinguished Professors

KU’s 12 Foundation Distinguished Professors and their departments are:

• Victor Agadjanian, sociology

• Beth Bailey, history

• Chris Beard, ecology and evolutionary biology

• James Bever, ecology and evolutionary biology

• Cecilia Menjívar, sociology

• Dennis O’Rourke, anthropology

• William Picking, pharmaceutical chemistry

• David Roediger, American studies and history

• Christophe Royon, physics and astronomy

• Mark Shiflett, chemical and petroleum engineering (August 2016)

• Steven Soper, chemistry (July 2016)

• Yong Zhao, educational leadership and policy studies (August 2016)