Barry Arkles, Ph.D., Gelest Inc.’s chair, founder and CEO has been elected as a member to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).
Previously: Barry Arkles Resumes Gelest CEO Role
Arkles has been recognized for his contributions to organosilicon materials, organometallic and biochemical reagents. According to the company, he has contributed scientific advances and inventions with positive impacts extending from the professional community to the global public. His record of innovation and accomplishments in applied materials science, surface chemistry and biotechnology are demonstrated by his contributions to medical devices such as contact lenses and semiconductor fabrication, particularly ILD (interlayer dielectrics) and interconnect metallization.
The NAE membership recognizes individuals who have contributed to engineering research, practice or education, including contributions to the engineering literature; and to developing fields of technology, making advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing approaches to engineering education. Arkles is one of 106 elected NAE members and 23 international members. The recent election brings the total U.S. membership to 2,355 and international membership to 298.
Arkles formed Gelest, Inc., in 1991 to develop and manufacture silicon and metal organic-based chemicals and polymers for applications in microelectronics, optoelectronics, diagnostics (including DNA array devices), medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Prior to founding Gelest, he was vice president of corporate development at Hüls America/Evonik. Arkles came to Hüls with the company’s acquisition of Petrarch Systems, a company he founded to develop advanced silicon and silicone products for medical devices.
Additionally, Arkles is a recipient of the American Chemical Society 2020 Frederic Stanley Kipping Award in Silicon Chemistry and a Fellow of the British Royal Society of Chemistry. He holds a bachelor’s in science in chemistry and a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Temple University in Philadelphia.
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“Without question, it is one of the great honors of my life to be elected to the academy,” said Arkles. “Election to academy membership validates my life’s work and the collective mission of Gelest, and now MCC scientists to customize materials solutions that benefit society at large.”
“Gelest's technology led by Arkles combines organic and inorganic chemistry and has great potential as an approach to various problems that could not be solved by organic or inorganic chemistry alone,” said Masayuki Waga, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) president and CEO.
“Barry Arkles is a rare combination of technical excellence, entrepreneurial acumen and research management expertise, which was evident early in his career and has continued to date,” said Robert D. Miller, Ph.D., an academy member and IBM emeritus at IBM Almaden Research Center. “Companies either founded or co-founded by Arkles currently generate nearly $1B in revenue. In each of his ventures, he has remained the technical face of the business with more than 150 technical publications and more than 75 U.S. patents. The marriage of broad technical expertise and business impact is refreshing and is uncommon in today’s world of specialization.”
For more information, contact Gelest Inc.
