In this series, ChEnected introduces readers to the recipients of AIChE’s 2025 Institute and Board of Directors’ Awards. These high honorees are nominated by the chemical engineering community and voted upon by the members of AIChE’s Awards Committee.
The Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering is endowed by the AIChE Foundation in the name of fluid-dynamics pioneer Andreas Acrivos of the City College of New York. The prize recognizes outstanding progress in chemical engineering by a member of AIChE in their early career.
The recipient of the 2025 Acrivos Award for Professional Progress is Michael Jewett, Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University.
Dr. Jewett is being recognized “for distinguished contributions in biochemical engineering, particularly using synthetic biology and cell-free systems to accelerate biosystems design for sustainable manufacturing, therapeutic production, and education.” He and the other Institute and Board of Directors’ Award recipients will be honored at the 2025 AIChE Annual Meeting, November 2–6 in Boston, Massachusetts.
About Michael Jewett
Michael Jewett is a Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University, where his research focuses on using biochemical engineering to benefit medicine, manufacturing, sustainability, and education.
He earned his PhD in chemical engineering at Stanford in 2005 and completed postdoctoral studies in Denmark and at Harvard Medical School. Jewett started his academic career at Northwestern University, where he held several distinguished professorships and directed the Center for Synthetic Biology. He has also been a guest professor at ETH Zurich and joined Stanford in 2023.
Jewett has co-founded multiple biotech companies, including SwiftScale Biologics, Stemloop, Pearl Bio, and Synolo Therapeutics. He has served in leadership roles across the scientific community, including co-chair of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and chair of AIChE’s Division 15.
His work has earned numerous honors, including the NIH Pathway to Independence Award, the Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering, the Camille-Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, and election to the AAAS, AIMBE, and the National Academy of Inventors.
Jewett’s research and leadership continue to push the boundaries of bioengineering, with a focus on creating solutions that make a real-world impact.
This fall, ChEnected is presenting a series that profiles all the 2025 Institute and Board of Directors’ Award recipients. Visit ChEnected regularly to meet the honorees.
