December 3, 2025 Advancing a Legacy: Sobota Professorship Conferred on Associate Professor Reid Van Lehn Written By: Susann Eva Ely Departments: Chemical & Biological Engineering Categories: Awards|Event|Faculty On August 15, the department recognized Associate Professor Reid Van Lehn with the John T. and Magdalen L. Sobota Professorship. A highlight of the event was welcoming members of the Sobota family—Jon, Karen, Kate, Adrian Kruse, and Meredith McGlone. Associate Professor Reid Van Lehn (left) with R. Byron Bird Department Chair Professor Brian Pfleger (right). The Sobota Professorship was established in 1991 by Magdalen L. Sobota in memory of her husband, John Sobota, a 1932 chemical engineering graduate. Over the decades, the professorship has elevated the work and impact of the many exceptional faculty members who have held the title. In his remarks, Dean Devesh Ranjan congratulated Van Lehn and noted that the Sobota Professorship “represents a legacy of belief in the power of education, in the promise of research, and in the enduring impact of investing in people.” Additionally, R. Byron Bird Department Chair, Karen and William Monfre and Vilas Distinguished Professor Brian Pfleger highlighted Van Lehn’s leadership within the department, particularly his contributions to graduate student recruitment and the graduate program. In the classroom, Van Lehn is known for his ability to connect course material with real-world research opportunities. College of Engineering’s Grainger Dean Devesh Ranjan gave the opening remarks at the recognition event. Van Lehn shared how the Sobota Professorship will support his research and teaching mission, advancing work that aims to positively influence society. His research areas include AI for chemical process design, new approaches to critical mineral recovery, electrolytes for energy storage technologies, and materials for sensing emerging contaminants and pollutants. In May 2025, Van Lehn received the Vilas Faculty Early Career Investigator Award, which honors early-career faculty who demonstrate excellence in both research and teaching. Additionally, Van Lehn’s commitment to impactful education is reflected in his recognition with the 2024 Benjamin Smith Reynolds Award from the College of Engineering, awarded in part for his mastery of teaching complex chemical engineering subjects to students at all levels. We look forward to the new avenues of research and innovation that Van Lehn will pursue as the John T. and Magdalen L. Sobota Associate Professor.