About the company:

Leo E. Manzer is the founder and President of Catalytic Insights LLC, a company he founded to assist small and large companies with the discovery, development and commercialization of catalytic processes. Much of his company's focus is on the use of catalytic technology for the conversion of biomass to renewable fuels and chemicals. His clients include some of the largest venture-capital funded companies in the biomass area. Dr. Manzer is on the Scientific Advisory Board of several companies.

More about the Founder and CEO:

Leo E. Manzer retired as a DuPont Fellow in the company's Central Science and Engineering Laboratories at the Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. As a DuPont Fellow, Dr. Manzer achieved the company's highest level of professional recognition for scientists. Upon his retirement in 2005, he was one of 15 company scientists and engineers to hold the title of DuPont Fellow.

Dr. Manzer was born and educated in Canada. After receiving his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, he joined DuPont in Wilmington, DE. During his career, he held a variety of positions with DuPont in Delaware and Texas, overseeing research programs in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. He founded and directed the Corporate Catalysis Center which became recognized as a world-class industrial center for catalysis. He has significant experience in all aspects of process development from discovery to commercialization.

He is a member of the North American Catalysis Society and has been very active in promoting catalysis globally.

Dr. Manzer is the author of over 90 publications and 121 issued US patents (over 500 international patents). His expertise and experience in catalysis and process research have been recognized by several major awards including:

• 1966 Cyanamid of Canada Science Award
• 1970 Society of Chemical Industry Merit Award
• 1970 National Research Council of Canada Postgraduate Scholarship
• 1987 Sandford-Fleming Award in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo
• 1995 Earle B. Barnes Award from the American Chemical Society to recognize outstanding achievements in chemical research management.
• 1996 DuPont Engineering Excellence Award
• 1996 Devon Meek Industrial Lectureship, Ohio State University
• 1996 DuPont Safety, Health and Environmental Excellence Award
• 1996 DuPont Engineering Excellence Award
• 1996 Barnette Industrial Lectureship, University of West Virginia
• 1997 Catalysis Club of Philadelphia Award which recognizes a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of catalysis.
• 1997 Heroes of Chemistry Award from the American Chemical Society which honors scientists whose work has changed our society for the better
• 1998 Cross-Canada Lecture Tour Award by the Catalysis Division of the Chemical Institute of Canada
• 2001 Eugene J. Houdry Award for Applied Catalysis from the North American Catalysis Society recognizes individual contributions in the field of catalysis with emphasis on the development of new and improved catalysts and processes representing outstanding advances in their useful application.
• 2002 Presidential National Medal of Technology Award to DuPont, where he was one of three scientists recognized for the development of CFC Alternatives
• 2003 E. V. Murphree Award from the American Chemical Society which recognizes individuals with accomplished, outstanding research of a theoretical or experimental nature in the fields of industrial chemistry or chemical engineering.
• 2007 University of Waterloo-Distinguished Alumni Award recognizing the top 50 graduates from the 50 year history of Waterloo

Hobbies

In his spare time Dr. Manzer enjoys hiking, camping and fishing for halibut in Alaska, tautog in Delaware and largemouth bass in Northern Ontario. He also enjoys ocean kayaking and fishing.

Professional Activities and Memberships

• American Chemical Society
• American Institute of Chemical Engineering
• North American Catalysis Society
• Industrial Advisory Board, Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, University of Delaware
• NRC Panel on "New Directions in Catalyst Science and Technology" (1989-1991)
• Executive Committee for the 11th International Congress on Catalysis-Baltimore 1996
• Treasurer-11th International Congress on Catalysis-Baltimore 1996
• Editorial Board of Catalysis Reviews
• Editorial Board of Catalysis Today
• Editorial Board of Applied Catalysis A: General
• Editorial Board of Industrial Catalysis News
• Editorial Board of Clean Products and Processes
• Editorial Board of Chemistry for Sustainable Development
• Editorial Board, C&E News, 1996-1998
• Editorial Board, Journal of Catalysis, 2000-present
• Adjunct Professor, Dept of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware
• Adjunct Professor, Dept of Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
• Advisory Board-Environmentally Conscious Chemical Manufacturing Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
• Advisory Board-Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• Advisory Board-Department of Chemical Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA.
• Led industry-wide effort to establish Catalysis as a focus area in the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) at NIST. This effort obtained $160 million in funding for the 1995-2000 period.
• Chairman, Catalysis Advisory Board, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Treasurer-3rd World Congress on Oxidation Catalysis-San Diego, September 1997
• Delaware Section ACS Carothers Award Committee (1996-present)
• Treasurer-2nd World Congress on Environmental Catalysis, Miami Beach, November 1998
• Advisory Board- Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, National Research Council of Canada (1999-2005)
• Advisory Board 3rd International Conference on Environmental Catalysis, Tokyo, Japan, December 10-13 (2001)
• International Advisory Board, Tokyo Conference on Advanced Catalytic Science and Technology (TOCAT4), 2002
• NATO Advanced Workshop on “Green Industrial Applications of Ionic Liquid”, Crete, Greece April 12-16 (2000)
• Advisory Board – Center for Catalysis Research and Innovation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Ontario Canada (2002-present)