Profile

Dr. Darrell Velegol

Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering

Bio

Dr. Darrell Velegol, Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at Penn State, is an award-winning teacher and researcher. Dr. Velegol earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering in 1997 from Carnegie Mellon. As a researcher, he has worked with his students to published more than 70 papers in the field of colloid science, especially with regard to interparticle forces, colloidal assembly, electrokinetic phenomena, and colloidal motors.As an educator, Professor Velegol believes that when young scholars are pursuing fields they are passionate about, they have the capacity for greatness. He has written about a transformative system of education in his book, "Wild Scholars" (2011). In addition, he has been educating about and developing a field called “Physics of Community”, in which he uses the principles of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Ecology to explain and model human decision making.For almost 14 years, Dr. Velegol has shared his CENTER practices with 1000s of students. In each young person he works with, he sees the capacity for greatness.