Tulane's Vijay John to present 2025 Gerald D. Holder Distinguished Lecture
Dr. Vijay John, the Leo S. Weil Professor in Engineering at Tulane University's School of Science and Engineering, will present the 2025 Gerald D. Holder Distinguished Lecture at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering on Friday, October 17 at 9:30 am in Benedum Hall.
A 2024 gift from Diane P. and Gerald (Jerry) D. Holder established the lecture series at the Swanson School in honor of Dean Emeritus Holder, who served as the U. S. Steel Dean of Engineering from 1996 to 2018. The lecture series rotates annually between the school’s six departments each fall, and this year is hosted by Dr. Robert Enick, Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. Dr. John was mentored by Dr. Holder as his first doctoral student.
Dr. John will present “Targeted Delivery through Self Assembly in Environmental Remediation and in Drug Delivery.” His current research deals with the targeted delivery of chemical compounds using carriers that are designed through principles of self-assembly, and he will discuss two specific cases in the environmental and drug delivery areas. In the environmental area, Dr. John works in the mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), which occur during periods of eutrophication and lead to uncontrolled algal growth especially of species that produce toxins that have devastating effects on aquatic life and affect human health. HAB events therefore have significant impacts on the economies of affected communities. Technology to mitigate such blooms incorporate fundamental chemical and biochemical concepts of flocculation and algaecide delivery. Dr. John describes his group's work focusing on technology that integrates algaecide into self-assembled mesh like networks that trap algae so that the algaecide is delivered specifically to algal cells in the resulting flocs, with minimal off target implications. He will address both freshwater HABs and the marine HABs commonly known as the Red Tide.
In the second case study on drug delivery concepts, the group uses self-assembly in the generation of nanoscale complexes of lipids and peptoids, which are peptide mimetic systems. He will demonstrate that such complexes act through the hydrophobic effect and are able to encapsulate chemotherapeutic agents. These complexes can also be used to generate multilayer vesicles through vesicle fusion. These are novel systems that have potential in drug and vaccine therapy.
About Gerald D. Holder, PhD
For two decades as U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering at the Swanson School of Engineering, Gerald D. Holder led its growth as one of the top 25 public engineering programs.
Dean Emeritus Holder earned his bachelor's in chemistry from Kalamazoo College, and his bachelor's, master's and PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan. His research focus area is the phase behavior of natural gasses & petroleum with emphasis on natural gas hydrates. He joined the chemical engineering faculty at Columbia University in New York City in 1976 and served in that capacity until 1979, when he came to the University of Pittsburgh. He served as Chair of Chemical Engineering from 1987-95 and became Dean of Engineering in 1996. In these leadership roles, Holder fostered the development of programs in bioengineering, polymers, environment and energy, manufacturing, and materials.
At Pitt, he has received awards for his research and teaching, including the School of Engineering Award for Outstanding Research and the Board of Visitors Faculty Award. His regional and national accomplishments include the William Metcalf Award for Lifetime Achievement in Engineering from the Engineering Society of Western Pennsylvania; Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Oak Ridge Associated Universities; and a General Motors Scholar.
To mark his 20th anniversary as Dean of the Swanson School, former Provost Patricia Beeson appointed him as a Distinguished Service Professor, a title that recognizes distinctive contributions and outstanding service (e.g., professional, regional. national, international) to the University community in support of its multifaceted teaching/research/service mission, as well as performance excellence and national stature in his discipline.