North Carolina State University Professor Ruben Carbonell will direct the Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center starting Jan. 1.
Carbonell is the Frank Hawkins Kenan Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University and he directs the William R. Kenan, Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science.
Carbonell replaces Peter Kilpatrick, who resigned to lead the College of Engineering at Notre Dame.
"Ruben Carbonell is a distinguished researcher and talented administrator who has worn a number of hats during his nearly two dozen years at North Carolina State University," said Larry Nielsen, the University's provost and executive vice chancellor. "We're fortunate that we can put this important facility and its training programs — which will have such a tremendous impact on the growth of the biomanufacturing sector in our state — in his capable hands."
Carbonell joined the University faculty in 1984. He received an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Manhattan College and a doctorate in chemical engineering at Princeton.
About the Center
The 82,500-square-foot center, on the University's Centennial Campus, offers commercial-scale equipment to provide the specialized education and training needed to work in the biopharmaceutical industry. It provides hands-on training for both university and community college students as well as industry employees, and also supports research into new biomanufacturing technologies.
The building is shared by the university, the Community College BioNetwork and the BioNetwork Capstone Center. It will serve 2,000 students annually when fully operational.