13.05.2024 Ι The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) America announced today that Caleb Funk, Ph.D. is this year’s recipient of the 21st annual Gordon E. Moore medal. SCI established the Gordon E. Moore medal to recognize early-career success in innovation, as reflected both in market impact and improvement to quality of life.
Funk, Lead R&D Scientist at DuPont, will be presented the award at Innovation Day. It is hosted jointly by SCI and the Science History Institute, on September 9, 2024, at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
„Through his research at DuPont, Caleb developed a new polyamide chemistry that changed multiple aspects of the traditional membrane process and applied these innovations to multiple membranes that are now commercialized,” said Roger Kearns, President and CEO of NOVA Chemicals and Chair of SCI America.
“In dedicating his scientific career to creating new and improving existing membranes, Caleb has significantly contributed to improved recovery and better reliability in industrial wastewater. His work has direct and measurable impacts on sustainability and energy conservation and we are thrilled to recognize his achievements.”
Membrane development for improved sustainability
DuPont Water Solutions is one of the world’s leading suppliers of nanofiltration membranes. Funk led the technical development of multiple reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membrane breakthroughs over the last fifteen years. That improved the transport properties, energy efficiency, and sustainability of membrane separations. Funk’s membrane innovations have led to improved sustainability and financial advantages for a wide array of applications. His developments are realized in a growing range of DuPont Water Solutions products.
„Caleb represents the essence of what it means to be a fearless innovator at DuPont. He has elevated the field of research in the area of nanofiltration and used it for the benefit of our customers and for the purpose of helping humanity thrive,” said Alexa Dembek, Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer at DuPont.
“It is in this unique space where chemistry, innovation and sustainability intersect that Caleb excels. I’m so very proud to call Caleb a colleague and on behalf of all his teammates at DuPont, I offer him our deepest congratulations on this career milestone.”
R&D of membrane manufacturing processes
Caleb Funk is a Lead R&D Scientist at DuPont focused on water purification membranes, including ultrafiltration, nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO). Much of his career has been spent on membrane 
manufacturing process R&D, scaling up new process technologies from lab to pilot to full-scale, as well as process advancements for element fabrication. His current role includes nanofiltration membrane chemistry development and new quality control technology development for reverse osmosis membranes.
He has been recognized with several awards. These include the DuPont Engineering Excellence Award in 2022 and 2023 for his work solving challenges with NF membrane manufacturing and Seawater RO membrane testing. DuPont has launched a portfolio of products incorporating an array of his membrane innovations.
As part of the broader membrane community, Funk served on the Board of the Directors of the North American Membrane Society for 8 years. During this time, he chaired both the Membership and Awards committees. He served a term as President of the Society in 2017-2018. He also served for 3 years on the steering committee of the World Association of Membrane Societies. Funk received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
More information about the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) can be found here.
