Pyzik_photo125x148Aleksander J. Pyzik is a fellow at The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan. His current research is focused on porous materials, 3D printing and effective industrial innovation. Pyzik joined Dow in 1985 and over his 28 year career, invented and led development of high strength self-reinforced silicon nitride materials for cutting tools and automotive applications, lightweight ceramic metal composites for armor and disc-drive components, and polymer fibers for reinforcement of concrete. He was the co-inventor of acicular mullite ceramics and high temperature cements for application in diesel particulate filters. Pyzik is a three-time recipient of Dow’s inventor of the year award, holds 71 US patents (17 pending), has 28 publications, and has given over 60 talks at international conferences, including several invited lectures and key-note speeches. He served on organizing and steering committees for nine international conferences sponsored by ACS. Pyzik is a member of the Engineering Sciences Division of ACS. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from The Materials Science Institute in Cracow, Poland and held post-doctorial appointments at UCLA and the University of Washington prior to joining Dow.