caption birth_place awards nationality fields known_for article_title name alma_mater
elmer l. gaden brooklyn , ny national academy of engineering american biochemistry father of biochemical engineering elmer l. gaden
 elmer l. gaden polytechnic institute of new york university , columbia university
elmer l. gaden

elmer l. gaden jr. has been described as the `` father of biochemical engineering . ''
a graduate of columbia university , he wrote a groundbreaking dissertation that quantified the amount of oxygen necessary to fuel the fermentation process used to produce penicillin .
dr. gaden established columbia 's program in biochemical engineering .
he remained at columbia for 26 years as a teacher , researcher , and department chair , before becoming dean of the college of engineering , mathematics , and business administration at the university of vermont in 1974 .
in 1979 , he joined the engineering faculty at the university of virginia as the wills johnson professor of chemical engineering .
in 1994 he retired from virginia , becoming wills johnson professor emeritus .
