McClements to Lecture at RPI on Colloid and Surface Chemistry

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David Julian McClements, Distinguished Professor of food science, has been selected to deliver the 12th in the Sydney Ross Lecture Series in Colloid and Surface Chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic University (RPI) in Troy, New York, on April 17.

His topic will be “Biopolymer microgels for encapsulation, protection, and oral delivery of bioactive agents.”

McClements says, “I am extremely honored by this recognition of my research achievements and excited to join a group of highly distinguished scientists who have previously received this award.”

The series established by gifts from friends and colleagues honors Sydney Ross, a world leader in chemistry research, particularly colloid and surface chemistry.

McClements’ research focuses on food biopolymers and colloids, specifically on the development of food-based structured delivery systems for bioactive components.

He came to the campus in 1994 after receiving a B.Sc. with honors and a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds, U.K. He has won many national and international awards and recognitions, including the 2015 Institute of Food Technologies’ (IFT) Babcock-Hart Award for contributions to food technology that result in improved public health through nutrition, the campus’s Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity in 2008, and a research award from the College of Natural Sciences in 2010. In 2015, he was elected a fellow of IFT, the U.K. Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Chemical Society.

He is the sole author of three editions of “Food Emulsions: Principles, Practice and Techniques” and the 2014 book “Nanoparticle- and Microparticle-based Delivery Systems: Encapsulation, Protection and Release of Active Components.” He has published more than 860 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and many book chapters and conference proceedings and holds 12 patents. 

At RPI, Ross taught from 1948 until 1980 and continued his research for 10 more years. He authored or edited five books and more than 150 journal articles on colloid science. He served as the first chairman of the Gordon Conference on Chemistry at Interfaces and on the editorial boards of several journals.

One notable achievement was founding the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation in Scotland in 1977. In 2001 he received the honorary doctor of science degree from the Heriot-Watt University of Edinburgh for his distinguished career in science and his role in developing the foundation.