Robert Tilton
Chevron Professor, Chemical Engineering
Director of Undergraduate Education, Chemical Engineering
Courtesy Appointment, Biomedical Engineering
A member of the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University since 1992, Robert Tilton is Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering. He earned a B.Ch.E. from the University of Delaware in 1986, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University in 1987 and 1991, respectively. His Ph.D. research was supervised by Alice Gast and Channing Robertson and was recognized by the 1993 Victor K. LaMer Award for Outstanding Graduate Research in Colloid and Surface Chemistry from the American Chemical Society. Following his Ph.D. he conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Tilton has served as a regular member of the NIH Nanotechnology Study Section and as Scientific Council to CODIRECT, the Institute Excellence Centre for Controlled Release and Delivery at the Institute for Surface Chemistry in Stockholm. He has held several leadership positions in the American Chemical Society Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, including Victor K. LaMer Award Committee Chair, symposium committee chair, and division vice-chair, chair-elect and chair. He now serves as councilor. In 2001 and 2015 he co-chaired the ACS Colloid and Surface Science Symposium at Carnegie Mellon University.
Research in Tilton’s group addresses problems in complex fluid interfacial phenomena. This entails fundamental investigations of the structure and dynamics of macromolecules, surfactants and composite nanoparticles in suspension or adsorbed at solid or fluid interfaces supports application-driven research in environmental nanotechnology, aerosolized carriers for pulmonary drug delivery, and high efficiency emulsifiers.
Engineering More Efficient Emulsifiers
Creating New Technology Using Complex Fluids
Education
1991 Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Stanford University
1987 MS, Chemical Engineering, Stanford University
1986 Bachelor of Chemical Engineering with Distinction, Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
Research Interests
Media mentions
Chemical Engineering
Student spotlight: Brian McKenzie
With his training in applied mathematics, Brian McKenzie models phenomena spanning fluid mechanics and colloid science.
Chemical Engineering
Alum spotlight: Stephanie Butler Velegol
A pioneer of flipping the classroom, Stephanie Butler Velegol (‘00) has dedicated her career to training chemical engineering students how to think.
McKenzie earns fluid mechanics award at AIChE
ChemE Ph.D. student Brian McKenzie received an Excellence in Fluid Mechanics Research and Oral Presentation Award from the 2024 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting.
Khair and Tilton gave invited lectures at the Howard Brenner Memorial Symposium
ChemE’s Aditya Khair and Robert Tilton spoke at the Howard Brenner Memorial Symposium at the National Academy of Sciences in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the former faculty member’s passing.
Chemical Engineering
Alum spotlight: Sebastián L. Vega
Sebastián L. Vega’s (’06) fascination with applying chemical engineering principles in the context of the human body started in a class taught by Bob Tilton and continues in his own research lab.
Liu honored at AIChE undergraduate research poster competition
At the 2023 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Student Conference, ChemE student Linda Liu earned 2nd place honors in the materials engineering and science category of the undergraduate research poster competition.
Chemical Engineering
Tilton to receive American Chemical Society Award
ACS recognizes Bob Tilton for outstanding scientific contributions to colloid chemistry.
Chemical Engineering
Alum spotlight: Haichao Wu
Haichao Wu (‘15) received the 2023 Victor K. LaMer Award for Graduate Research in Colloid and Surface Chemistry. His career path was inspired by his advisors and research experience in the MS program.
Chemical Engineering
Better transport on the way to more sustainable product formulations
Researchers show that polymer/surfactant complexes significantly enhance diffusiophoretic transport of colloids. The findings advance the understanding of how ingredients interact.
CMU Engineering
Kinetic research propels career paths
Malaika Alphons’ Summer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship (SURA) could serve her as a chemical or biomedical researcher.
Chemical Engineering
Undergraduates earn research experience through ChemE’s ChESS Program
Carnegie Mellon’s Chemical Engineering Summer Scholars Program (ChESS) provides rising juniors and seniors an opportunity to gain hands-on research experience.
Chemical Engineering
Berg Scholars, Chen and Pavlat will present posters at AIChE Conference
ChemE’s 6th Annual John Berg Undergraduate Research Symposium Poster Session winners, Ketong Chen and Benjamin Pavlat, earned the designation of Berg Scholars. They will travel on an all-expenses-paid trip to Boston for the AIChE Annual Student Conference and participate in its Undergraduate Student Poster Competition.