Reza Recognized with Young Researcher Award
Toufiq Reza, an assistant professor of chemical engineering in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, has been honored with the 2022 New Holland Young Researcher Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).
The prestigious award, presented annually to a recipient age 40 and under, “recognizes dedicated use of scientific methodology to seek out facts or principles significant to the agricultural engineering profession.”
Reza won the 50-year-old award, ASABE said, “for his role as an emerging global leader connecting diverse fields of agricultural, chemical, and environmental engineering on biomass conversion.”
“I am delighted to receive this Early Career ASABE Major Award,” Reza said. “This recognition identifies the significance of our research for more widespread development and it will encourage our group to further our research efforts. I am also hopeful that this prestigious award will increase visibility to our group and Florida Tech globally.”
Reza leads a research group seeking to apply fundamental chemical engineering concepts and hydrothermal processes to recover energy and value-added products from unwanted wet biowastes in a sustainable manner. His research is internationally applicable but also can make an impact closer to home.
He has acquired external funding totaling more than $6 million from numerous sources, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is supporting his work in Bangladesh, his home country.
Reza has authored or coauthored more than 170 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, conference proceeding papers and popular press articles, and his work has been cited very frequently. He holds two U.S. patents and has three more pending.
Founded in 1907, ASABE is an “educational and scientific organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food and biological systems,” according to its website.
