Joseph S. Francisco, the William H. Moore distinguished professor of chemistry at Purdue University, has been named president-elect of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. He will serve as ACS president in 2010 and as a member of the ACS Board of Directors from 2009 to 2011.
Francisco will succeed 2009 president Thomas H. Lane, a director with the Dow Corning Corp. and a 1974 Purdue chemistry graduate. He will be the second African-American, but the first from academia, named as president of the society, which was founded in 1876. The society has more than 160,000 members in chemistry, chemical engineering and related fields.
Francisco said the theme for his term will be bridging the gaps for the future of the chemical enterprise through partnerships that engage industry, academia and government. He plans to work to attract a broader pool of students into the chemical sciences to keep the enterprise healthy, prepare all members to be able to thrive in a global economy, and promote innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability in the chemical sciences.
