January 30, 2003

Kelly Receives R.J. Reynolds Award

Dr. Kelly (Photo: Sheri Thomas)

Dr. Robert M. Kelly, Alcoa Professor of Chemical Engineering at NC State University and director of both the NC State Biotechnology Program and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Graduate Student Biotechnology Training Program, is the eighteenth recipient of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research and Extension.  Kelly received the award in a ceremony held at 3 p.m. Thursday, January 30, in 242 Riddick Laboratories at NC State.  The award presentation was followed by Kelly’s lecture “Going to Extremes:  Observations from the Biology/Engineering Interface.”

The award was established in 1981 within the College of Engineering to honor a member of the Engineering faculty who has demonstrated superiority in several areas of activity that relate to the University's three-fold mission of teaching, research and extension.  The annual award is supported by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company through the North Carolina Engineering Foundation Inc. to bring recognition to scientific and educational achievements in fields of engineering.  The recipient is given a $25,000 prize distributed over five years.

An internationally renowned scholar with primary interests in the biology and biotechnology of extremophiles, Kelly is a dedicated researcher and educator.  He has achieved notable accomplishments in research, education and public service.  Kelly is acknowledged by his peers as a pioneer and international authority on microorganisms that grow in extreme environments (extremophiles), and his laboratory is recognized as one of the preeminent extremophile laboratories in the world.  These microorganisms are found in unusual habitats, including deep sea hydrothermal vents, terrestrial hot springs and regions with significant geothermal and volcanic activity.  The study of these organisms has generated interest in their possible connection to origins of life on earth as well as to possible life forms on other planets and moons.  Applications of extremophile research are wide-ranging and include using the enzymes from these organisms to stimulate gas and oil recovery processes, improve the production of pharmaceuticals, catalyze essential reactions in recombinant DNA technology and create new opportunities in the production of foods and sweeteners.

Kelly, who joined the College of Engineering faculty in 1992, has been involved in a wide range of activities within the research community at NC State, including serving as associate vice chancellor for research and graduate studies at NC State for 2001-02.  His research interests include biochemical engineering, biocatalysis at extreme temperatures, microbial physiology and enzyme engineering.  In 2001 Kelly led an effort to institute a campuswide biotechnology minor for undergraduate students at NC State to complement an existing minor at the graduate level. 

            He has served on several editorial boards for scientific journals, including Molecular and Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Journal of Molecular Catalysis B:  Enzymatic, Biotechnology Progress and Biocatalysis and Biotransformations.  He has served on several scientific advisory boards including Diversa Corporation (San Diego, California) and Trevigen, Inc. (Gaithersburg, Maryland).  He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Sigma Xi, the American Chemical Society, the American Society for Microbiology, the Middle Atlantic Biochemical Engineering Consortium, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Kelly received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1975, his master’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1976 and his doctoral degree from NC State University in 1981, all in chemical engineering.  He is author of more than 100 refereed journal articles and has authored, coauthored or edited six books or journal volumes, including three recent Methods in Enzymology volumes on hyperthermophilic enzymes.  Kelly has written 15 book chapters, published numerous reports and holds 10 patents.

— rudd —

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