Asatekin wins Yeoman Innovation Award

In recognition of her impactful research in the field of separations, Professor Ayse Asatekin was recently awarded the Separations Division FRI/Neil Yeoman Innovation Award by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Separations Division. The award honors one outstanding separations researcher each year in memory of Neil Yeoman, who was a founding member of both the award’s sponsor (Fractionation Research, Inc.) and the AIChE Separations Division.

Recipients are selected for their notable work in separation technologies such as membranes, reverse osmosis, or filtration. In keeping with Yeoman’s dedication to practical solutions, their work must contribute to helping the environment, society, or industry. Asatekin’s commitment to the environment is evident throughout her research. She designs novel membranes for water treatment, removal of multiple types of pollutants, small molecule separations, and energy-efficient smart filtration processes. She also works on novel polymers for energy storage applications, improved biomaterials and microfluidic devices, and improving water treatment approaches for emergency response and in lower- and middle-income countries.

From her days as a Ph.D. student at MIT, Asatekin has been a leader in translating her lab work into real-world benefits. Her research has spun out into two start-up companies. The first, Clean Membranes, Inc., commercialized a fouling-resistant membrane technology that she began developing during her doctoral research. More recently, her work at Tufts led to the founding of ZwitterCo, Inc., a company that uses Asatekin’s novel, extremely fouling-resistant zwitterionic membranes to support sustainable water reuse. Asatekin currently serves as senior scientific advisor to ZwitterCo, Inc. 

The Yeoman Innovation Award joins a host of previous accolades for Asatekin. She is a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors. She previously served on the Board of Directors of the North American Membrane Society (NAMS) where she won the NAMS Permeance Prize for Mid-Career Excellence. According to the online platform International Property Rights Explorer, Asatekin is one of the top 100 Turkish women with the most patent applications worldwide. In 2023, she received the Rising Innovator of the Year Award from the Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Tufts during their annual inventor recognition event.

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a leading international organization that brings together over 60,000 chemical engineering professionals from more than 110 countries. The Separations Division is one of fourteen divisions within the organization focused on a specific area within chemical engineering. Founded in 1990, the division offers opportunities for professionals to discuss current and novel methods of separation.

Learn more about Professor Ayse Asatekin.