Members of the Illinois Tech community and friends are invited to attend the 2025 Darsh T. Wasan Lecture, which will be presented by Príamo A. Melo, professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Melo will give a presentation titled “Hunger for None: Powered by Chemical Engineering.”
2025 Darsh T. Wasan Lecture
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
3:15–4:30 p.m.
Perlstein Hall Auditorium, Room 131
10 West 33rd Street, Chicago, IL 60616
Complimentary parking will be available in lot A4 and lot B5 beginning at 2 p.m. The B5 parking lot is located west of Hermann Hall, and the A4 parking lot is located on State Street just north of The McCormick Tribune Campus Center.
A reception will follow the lecture in the Perlstein Hall lobby.
This event will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.
More About Príamo A. Melo
Professor Príamo A. Melo earned his degree in chemical engineering from the Federal University of Sergipe (1995) and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from COPPE at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), with a research stay at the University of Wisconsin—Madison (2000). He later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Amsterdam (2009). A faculty member at UFRJ for more than 23 years, he is currently a full professor in the chemical engineering program at COPPE/UFRJ, where he also served as program chair (2021–25).
Melo has taught extensively at both undergraduate and graduate levels, covering the full chemical engineering curriculum and advanced courses in applied mathematics and computing. He has held visiting professorships at Universidad Nacional del Sur (Argentina), the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway), and Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombia).
His research focuses on mathematical modeling, computer simulation, process control, and optimization of chemical systems, with applications in polymerization, petrochemicals, and nitrogen-based fertilizers. He has received numerous honors, including the Petrobras Inventor Award, the Professor Giulio Massarani Academic Achievement Award (UFRJ), the Young Scientist Achievement Award (FAPERJ), and multiple Fellowships for Distinguished Researchers (CNPq, Brazil).
Melo also represents UFRJ on the Permanent Steering Committee for Strategies to Foster Fertilizer Production for the State Government of Rio de Janeiro. Since August 2025, he has been serving as the inaugural Darsh Wasan Visiting Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Illinois Tech.
More About Darsh T. Wasan
Darsh T. Wasan led Illinois Tech’s international initiatives for 26 years, serving as the university’s chief ambassador. Wasan is a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Illinois Tech, and member of the United States National Academy of Engineering and the Indian National Academy of Engineering. Since joining the Illinois Tech faculty in 1964, he has made wide-ranging contributions to the university. In 1988 he secured a gift of a five-building campus from CPC International, Inc., and with an initial grant of $3.7 million from the United States Food and Drug Administration, he founded an innovative national center for research and education in food safety and technology—now called the Institute for Food Safety and Health. In 1997 he initiated the delivery of cutting-edge master’s programs to India via distance learning programs. He established centers in India, Europe, China, and Korea; forged relationships with universities around the world; and increased international enrollment from 15 percent to 50 percent of Illinois Tech’s total enrollment. In his 58 years at Illinois Tech, he also held nearly every leadership post, including department chair, twice interim dean of engineering, vice president for research and technology, provost, and senior vice president for academic affairs.