Todd Przybycien

Professor and Department Head, Chemical and Biological Engineering

About

Experience

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 

  • 8/18 – present Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering 

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 

  • 7/02 – 8/18 Professor, Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering
  • 7/02 – 7/08 Founding Head, Department of Biomedical Engineering
  • 7/00 – 6/02 Head, Biomedical & Health Engineering Program
  • 6/98 – 6/02 Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering 

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 

  • 6/96 – 5/98 Howard P. Isermann Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering
  • 1/91 – 5/96 Howard P. Isermann Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering 

Monsanto Agricultural Company, St. Louis, MO 

  • 3/89 – 12/90 Senior Research Engineer, Purification Process Development Group, Animal Sciences Division
Education & Training

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 

  • 6/86 - 3/89 Ph.D. Chemical Engineering with Minor in Biology
  • 9/84 - 6/86 M.S. in Chemical Engineering 

Washington University, St. Louis, MO 

  • 9/80 - 5/84 B.S. in Chemical Engineering
  • 9/80 - 5/84 A.B. in Chemistry

Research

Area: downstream bioprocessing/bioseparations. Development of new separation unit operations and processes for biologics, with a focus on continuous processing, and development of new separations media, including continuous precipitation-based capture processes, new high selectivity affinity chromatography media for proteins and new affinity membrane technology for mRNA purification. Also application of process analytical technologies and systems engineering tools to bioprocessing, including development of biophysical, genetic and modeling tools for adventitious agent testing. Development of antibody-drug conjugate surrogates and virus surrogates for process development and validation. Area: applied biophysics/interfacial biotechnology. Development of structure-function-processing relationships for biologic drugs – including recombinant proteins, viral vectors and mRNA – that improve our ability to design and operate bioprocesses. This includes solubility, conformation/denaturation, aggregation and adsorption phenomena probed on the molecular level with spectroscopic, optical and biophysical tools and connected to studies of macroscopic, process-level behavior.

Recognition

Professional Honors and Awards 

  • 2025 James M. Van Lanen Distinguished Service Award, Division of Biochemical Technology (BIOT) of the American Chemical Society
  • 2018 – current Adjunct Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Chemical Engineering
  • 2017 Fellow, American Chemical Society
  • 2010 Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers
  • 2009 Erskine Fellow, University of Canterbury, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Christchurch, NZ
  • 2008 – current Adjunct Professor, Departamento Biotecnología e Ingenieria de Alimentos, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Tec de Monterrey), Monterrey, MX
  • 2007, 2009 BME Professor of the Year, CMU Graduate Biomedical Engineering Society
  • 2003 Whitaker Foundation Academic Leadership Program
  • 1998 Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
  • 1997 Early Career Award for Faculty, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • 1997 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, Dreyfus Foundation
  • 1995 Faculty Early Career Development Award, National Science Foundation
  • 1985 Honorable Mention, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
  • 1984 – 1985 Amoco Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship 

1984 and prior Phi Beta Kappa (liberal arts and sciences honorary), Tau Beta Pi (engineering honorary), Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership and service honorary), Ethan A.H. Shepley Award (leadership, scholarship and service to campus community, Washington University), George E. Kassabaum Award (outstanding senior man, Washington University Interfraternity Council), Outstanding Senior Chemical Engineer (American Institute of Chemists), Outstanding Junior Chemistry Major (Chemical Council of Greater St. Louis), Alexander S. Langsdorf Engineering Fellow (Washington University), National Merit Scholar, National Society of Professional Engineers Scholarship

Publications

The following is a selection of recent publications in Scopus. Todd Przybycien has 101 indexed publications in the subjects of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology.

Separation and Purification Technology
, 354
, 2025
.
Mirko Minervini, Matthew Mergy, Yuncan Zhu, Mario A. Gutierrez Diaz, Craig Pointer, Oleg Shinkazh, Sheldon F. Oppenheim, Steven M. Cramer, Todd M. Przybycien, Andrew L. Zydney
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
, 121
, 2024
, pp.2258-2268
.
Wendi Zhang, Todd Przybycien, Johannes Schmölder, Samuel Leweke, Eric von Lieres
Computers and Chemical Engineering
, 183
, 2024
.
Sambit Ghosh, Matthew Mergy, Mirko Minervini, Jacinta Okpanum, Steven M. Cramer, B. Wayne Bequette, Andrew L. Zydney, Todd M. Przybycien
Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing Systems
, 7
, 2023
, pp.129-147
.
Reilly McCracken, Noor Al-Nazal, Travis Whitmer, Sijia Yi, James M. Wagner, Colin G. Hebert, Matthew J. Lowry, Peter R. Hayes, James W. Schneider, Todd M. Przybycien, Malini Mukherjee
Vaccines
, 10
, 2022
.
Peter R. Hayes, Todd M. Przybycien, James W. Schneider
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
, 119
, 2022
, pp.134-144
.

View All Scopus Publications

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