George Philippidis

Associate Professor

Dr. George P. Philippidis is Associate Dean for Research at the Patel College of Global Sustainability and has a joint Associate Professor appointment with the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. He is a Fulbright Scholar and holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the University of Denver. He has authored numerous publications and 11 patents. Dr. Philippidis has long experience leading strategic business units in the private sector, directing applied research in the public sector, and teaching sustainability in academia. He started his career at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Denver, where he pioneered conversion of biomass to ethanol as a renewable transportation fuel. He then moved to Thermo Fisher Scientific in Boston, a Fortune 100 company, where he commercialized clean technologies. Subsequently, he joined the Applied Research Center at Florida International University in Miami to create and direct its energy business. He has been partner in a venture capital firm, founded technology start-ups, and advised companies and government agencies, including the US State Department, the US Department of Agriculture, and the Organization of American States. At USF, in addition to teaching and mentoring students, Dr. Philippidis directs green technology development and commercialization that aims at making the society sustainable and the economy circular through partnerships with industry, government, and communities. His applied research focuses on production of biomaterials, biofuels, and renewable energy from sustainable natural resources, such as algae, biomass, and oilseed crops, by integrating biochemical engineering, biology, sustainability, and business.

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