Marino Xanthos, a professor of chemical engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, has won the Heinz List Award.
He received the award at the Society of Plastics Engineers' Antec 2010, held in May in Orlando.
The award recognizes outstanding achievement in polymer reactions and polymer devolatilization technologies.
Xanthos has been instrumental in helping polymer engineering advance as an academic discipline, SPE said.
His research has focused on polymer blends, composites and foams; polymer modification and reactive processing; and plastics recycling and life-cycle assessment.
He also has studied the relationships between polymer processing, structure and properties; environmental considerations in processing; smart polymeric materials; and composites for biomedical applications.
He has served as director of several major research centers, such as the Polymer Processing Institute.
Sponsored by List USA Inc., the award honors the contributions and innovations made by Heinz List, a pioneer of industrial processing equipment who founded List Group of Arisdorf, Switzerland, in 1966.
List developed the Ko-Kneader for PVC compounding, then developed advanced machines for mixing and kneading, which are used for devolatizing and polymerization.