A delegation headed by Professor Suojiang Zhang, Executive Deputy Director of IPE was invited to AIChE2009 Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee from Nov 8 to 13, 2009. This annual meeting included 19 Core Programming areas and 12 Topical Conferences focused on the latest developments in areas ranging from core chemical engineering fundamentals to emerging technologies in Quality by Design (co-sponsored by U.S. FDA), Energy, Sustainability and Nanotechnology. 

As co-chair with Professor Liu Wei of PNNL and Dr. Dickson E Ozokwelu, Professor Zhang made an invited lecture on International Forum On Sustainable Energy & Environment and Session on Novel Catalytic and Separation Process Based on Ionic Liquids. Dr. Guangwen Xu, Dr. Xin Xiao and Dr Jianmin Xing and some IPE postgraduates also attended the meeting.

During his stay in the states, Professor Zhang also visited USA PNNL on Nov 6, University of Minnesota on Nov 7 and University of Oklahoma on Nov 9.