Dr. Mark Zappi: A Brief Biography

SEE ALSO: Dean Zappi's curriculum vita (PDF)

Dr. Mark Zappi comes to The University of Louisiana at Lafayette from Mississippi State University where he held the Texas Olefins Professorship in the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering. Dr. Zappi has a BS in Civil Engineering from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a MS and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Mississippi State University. Dr. Zappi?s primary areas of research include production of both liquid and gaseous fuels from renewable sources and treatment of polluted waste streams.

After graduation from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (formerly The University of Southwestern Louisiana) in 1984, Dr. Zappi started his professional career at the US Army Corps of Engineer?s Waterways Experiment Station (WES), located in Vicksburg, MS. While at the WES, Dr. Zappi served as Head of the Biological and Oxidation Processes Research Team of the Environmental Laboratory.

At MSU, he served as both the Director of the DOE funded Mississippi University Research Consortium for the Utilization of Biomass and the Director of the MSU Environmental Technology Research Laboratory. While in Mississippi, he worked very closely with elected officials, governmental policy makers, and local industries to position Mississippi as a leader in the area of biomass to fuels and chemical products manufacturing.

To date, Dr. Zappi has generated over $30 million dollars in research funds ranging in scope from basic technology research and development to industrial assistance efforts. Dr. Zappi has over 150 technical publications and has served as an associate editor for numerous journals. Dr. Zappi holds two patents and has four pending. He is a registered Professional Engineer within the State of Mississippi. Dr. Zappi has served as a technical consultant for numerous industries and national/international government entities in the areas of both environmental remediation and biomass to chemicals production.