Ryan Dirkx, Ph.D.
1986g
Retired Vice President, Research and Development, Arkema Inc.
Ryan Dirkx retired as the vice president of Research and Development (R&D), Arkema Inc., headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. In this capacity, he was responsible for R&D activity in North America, management of the R&D Center in King of Prussia, managing the U.S. corporate incubator businesses, and coordination with the global R&D activities of the parent company, Arkema, headquartered in Paris.
A 30-year veteran of Arkema Inc. and its predecessor companies, Dirkx directed global R&D organizations for several Arkema businesses, including those within the Performance Polymers and PMMA divisions. He has also held business and market management positions within the Specialty Chemicals division. He is a past chair of the Industrial Research Institute (IRI) and past co-chair of the National Academies’ Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology.
Dirkx has a Ph.D. in Solid State Science from Penn State and a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He is a long-time member of the American Chemical Society where he is currently serving on the ACS National Award Selection Committee. He actively supports STEM education activities and is a member of the Penn State Department of Materials Science and Engineering External Advisory Board.