Assistant Professor Jerrod Henderson of the William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ 2025 William W. Grimes Award, which recognizes “a chemical engineer’s outstanding achievements in the chemical engineering profession and as a distinguished role model within the profession.”
AIChE’s Minority Affairs community “presents this award in honor of William W. Grimes, the first African-American Fellow of AIChE.” The award is presented at the Annual Meeting and is commemorated with $1,000 and a plaque to the awardee.
Henderson has been involved with AIChE since he was an undergraduate student at North Carolina A&T State University and came to appreciate “the power of this tremendous network” in graduate school and as a faculty member at the University of Illinois.
“So many of my lifelong friends and collaborators are AIChE members,” he said. “Annually, the AIChE Conference is like a homecoming of sorts, where I get to see and reconnect with former colleagues, professors and students.”
Henderson was nominated by William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Abraham E. Dukler Professor and Director of Graduate Studies Jeffrey Rimer, but was still surprised to learn of his selection to receive the award.
“My overall reaction was a mix of gratitude, humility and excitement. It is an honor that affirms the work I care deeply about and motivates me to continue serving my community with excellence,” said Henderson.
“This recognition is meaningful to me on several levels,” he continued. “Walking in the trailblazing legacy of William W. Grimes, the first Black fellow of AIChE, is both humbling and weighty. It is a tremendous honor to be associated with someone whose courage and excellence opened doors for so many of us in the profession. This award is also extra special, as several pioneers in Chemical Engineering, whom I look up to as role models, such as Cato. T. Laurencin, Christine Grant, Lola Eniola-Adefeso, Yusuf Adewuyi (one of my previous professors) and Lance Collins, to name a few, have earned this award. I stand on the shoulders of giants!”
“Up to this point, I’ve been intentional about balancing my commitments as a junior faculty member, focusing primarily on building my research program, mentoring students and establishing a strong scholarly record. Now, as I approach the end of my fifth year on the tenure track, I feel well-positioned to broaden my national and international footprint. Receiving this award has already inspired me to consider pathways to deepen my engagement with AIChE, particularly at the national level through MAC and the Education Division.”
Henderson said the award “also signals an important moment for our field, as it affirms chemical engineering’s growing acceptance of engineering education research as a rigorous and valuable scholarly pathway that advances both our discipline and our society. This recognition signals that my work is valued within the chemical engineering community, and it motivates me to contribute even more intentionally to shaping the field.”
“As I said in my award acceptance speech, I dedicate this award to my family and friends who continuously push me to dream big, shine and never give up and my students who serve as a constant reminder that wildest dreams come true.”