Professor Trujillo was recently elected a fellow of the AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) by the AIChE Board of Directors. The rank of fellow is the highest grade of membership in the institute and is reserved for no more than 5% of the total professional membership. The award is given in recognition of outstanding professional accomplishments and contributions as a senior member of chemical engineering. Dr. Trujillo received the AIChE Gary Leach Award in 2009 and was named the Outstanding Student Chapter Advisor at the 2008 Annual AIChE conference in Philadelphia. He has also served as president of two local AIChE professional sections – the Rocky Mountain Section in Denver and the Great Salt Lake Section in Salt Lake. Currently, Professor Trujillo is Vice-Chair of the AIChE Career and Education Operating Council (CEOC), Chair of the Student Chapters Committee for International Student Chapters, CEOC liaison to the Student Chapters Executive Committee, and a member and CEOC liaison to the AIChE International Committee.
Trujillo has been on the faculty in the Department of Chemical Engineering since 1984 and an adjunct professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering since 1994. He served as the Assistant Dean for Minority Affairs in the College of Engineering from 1991-1994. His degrees are all in chemical engineering from the University of Arizona (B.S), California Institute of Technology (MS) and the University of Utah (Ph.D.). His research interests are in the general areas of environmental and biochemical engineering and include the study of acid mine drainage, biosorption of heavy metals, removal of selenium from wastewater, biofuels, and multilayered growth of mammalian cells. Prior to joining the University of Utah as a faculty member in 1984, he was a research engineer for Marathon Oil Company at their research center in Littleton, Colorado where he conducted research and field studies on enhanced oil recovery techniques.
Over the years he has taught many of the chemical engineering courses in the department, both graduate and undergraduate and received numerous awards. Professor Trujillo received the University of Utah Diversity Award in 1998; the Outstanding Service Award from the College of Engineering in 1992; the Community Service Award, from the Chicano Scholarship Fund Committee in1997; an award for Outstanding Service from Utah MESA/STEP Inc.(in which he was one of the founders) in1994; an award for Outstanding Service to Education from the Utah State Board of Education in 1994; the President’s Award from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers in 1988 and several others. He has also served on many national and university committees.