Uma Chowdhry
- January 7, 2024
- 76 years
About Uma Chowdhry
Uma Chowdhry, 76, Indian-born American chemist.
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Full Biography
|Uma Chowdhry (1947 – January 7, 2024) was an American chemist whose career was spent in research and management positions with E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. She specialized in the science of ceramic materials, including catalysts, proton conductors, superconductors and ceramic packaging for microelectronics.
Early life and education
Chowdhry was born in Mumbai, India, in 1947. She received a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Bombay (now Mumbai University) in 1968 before coming to the United States. She received a Master of Science degree from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in engineering science in 1970. After two years with Ford Motor Company, she entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she earned a Ph.D. in materials science in 1976.
Career
DuPont
She joined DuPont in 1977 as a research scientist in Central Research & Development Department of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company at the DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware. By 1985 she had been promoted to research manager of Central Research. In 1987 she led DuPont's research effort in ceramic superconducting materials and developed a program that generated over 20 patents and 50 publications. In 1988 she became laboratory director of the Electronics group, and by 1991 was promoted to be its director.
The following year she was appointed laboratory director of the Jackson Laboratory for the Specialty Chemicals group. In 1993 she became R&D director, Specialty Chemicals. in 1995 she became business director for terathane products, and two years later was promoted to Business Planning and Technology Director for Chemicals. In 1999 she was promoted to director of DuPont Engineering Technology.
In 2006 she became senior vice president and global chief science and technology officer of DuPont, responsible for the company's core research programs and the DuPont "APEX" portfolio of research programs, including basic chemistry, materials science and biotechnology. She retired in September 2010, becoming chief science and technology officer emeritus.
In response to contamination of Ohio river caused by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, also known as C8), the key ingredient in Teflon, and subsequent cases of cancer and other medical issues, when asked if this C8 chemical could be responsible for babies born with deformities in 2 out of 8 former DuPont women employees, Ms. Uma responded "In the realm of scientific facts, this is not considered a statistically significant sample."
Other contributions
Chowdhry served on study groups for the National Research Council to assess various technology topics of national interest, and was a member of National Research Council's Committee on Globalization (2004). Chowdhry was a member of the National Committee on Women in Science and Engineering sponsored by both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering since 1999.
She served on the board of directors for the Industrial Research Institute (2002-2005), Baxter International Inc. (2012-), LORD Corporation (2010-), the Advisory Board for Advanced Technology at the National Institute of Standards (NIST, 2010), the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Laboratory Operations Board for the Department of Energy for the US Government. She was appointed to the Laboratory Operations Board for the U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C., in 2002.
Chowdhry served on advisory boards of engineering schools at MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and the University of Delaware.
Uma Chowdhry and her husband, Vinay Chowdhry, lived in Wilmington, Delaware. She was elected to the board of trustees for Christiana Care Health Services in Delaware in 2003.
Chowdhry died on January 7, 2024, after a long illness preceded by a stroke.
Awards and honors
For her contributions to the science of ceramics, Chowdhry was elected Fellow of the American Ceramic Society in 1989, where she chaired the academy's emerging technologies committee, 2002–2004.
She was elected a member to the National Academy of Engineering in 1996 for the application of advanced ceramic technologies to novel catalyst structures, large-scale chemical synthesis, and multilayer electronic circuit manufacture. Besides her membership, she served on the program advisory board and election subcommittees. She was also elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003.
Chowdhry received the 2011 IRI Medal for her leadership contributions at DuPont. Chowdhry received the 2011 Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management from the American Chemical Society.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uma_Chowdhry
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Uma Chowdhry's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Uma Chowdhry born?
- A.Calcutta
- B.Bangalore
- C.Mumbaicorrect
- D.New Delhi
Uma Chowdhry was born in Mumbai, India, in 1947.
Source: Early life and education section
2.Which institution did Uma Chowdhry attend to receive her bachelor's degree in physics?
- A.Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- B.Princeton University
- C.University of Bombaycorrect
- D.California Institute of Technology
Uma Chowdhry received a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Bombay in 1968.
Source: Early life and education section
3.At which company did Uma Chowdhry spend the majority of her career?
- A.LORD Corporation
- B.Ford Motor Company
- C.Baxter International Inc.
- D.E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Companycorrect
Uma Chowdhry spent her career in research and management positions with E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.
Source: Introduction
4.In what year did Uma Chowdhry die?
- A.2022
- B.2024correct
- C.2010
- D.2020
Uma Chowdhry died on January 7, 2024.
Source: Other contributions section
5.What was the subject of Uma Chowdhry's Ph.D. from MIT?
- A.Electronics
- B.Physics
- C.Chemical engineering
- D.Materials sciencecorrect
Uma Chowdhry earned a Ph.D. in materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976.
Source: Early life and education section
6.When did Uma Chowdhry join DuPont?
- A.1999
- B.1977correct
- C.1970
- D.1985
Uma Chowdhry joined DuPont in 1977 as a research scientist.
Source: Career DuPont section
7.What position did Uma Chowdhry hold at DuPont starting in 2006?
- A.Business planning director
- B.Director of engineering technology
- C.Laboratory director
- D.Senior vice president and global chief science and technology officercorrect
In 2006, Uma Chowdhry became senior vice president and global chief science and technology officer of DuPont.
Source: Career DuPont section
8.For which specific role was Uma Chowdhry elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1996?
- A.Management of global chemical supply chains
- B.Leadership in environmental policy reform
- C.Application of advanced ceramic technologiescorrect
- D.Development of pharmaceutical manufacturing
Uma Chowdhry was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for the application of advanced ceramic technologies to novel catalyst structures, large-scale chemical synthesis, and multilayer electronic circuit manufacture.
Source: Awards and honors section
9.What specific area of science did Uma Chowdhry specialize in?
- A.Organic chemistry
- B.Petroleum engineering
- C.Ceramic materialscorrect
- D.Nuclear physics
Uma Chowdhry specialized in the science of ceramic materials.
Source: Introduction
10.In 1987, Uma Chowdhry led DuPont's research effort into which material type?
- A.Polymer composites
- B.Ceramic superconducting materialscorrect
- C.Terathane derivatives
- D.Teflon-based coatings
In 1987, Uma Chowdhry led DuPont's research effort in ceramic superconducting materials.
Source: Career DuPont section
11.Which award did Uma Chowdhry receive in 2011 from the American Chemical Society?
- A.ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry
- B.Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Managementcorrect
- C.National Medal of Technology and Innovation
- D.Priestley Medal
Uma Chowdhry received the 2011 Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management from the American Chemical Society.
Source: Awards and honors section
12.At which organization did Uma Chowdhry serve as a member of the board of directors starting in 2012?
- A.Baxter International Inc.correct
- B.LORD Corporation
- C.Ford Motor Company
- D.Christiana Care Health Services
Uma Chowdhry served on the board of directors for Baxter International Inc. starting in 2012.
Source: Other contributions section
13.When did Uma Chowdhry serve on the National Research Council's Committee on Globalization?
- A.1999
- B.2010
- C.2004correct
- D.2002
Uma Chowdhry was a member of National Research Council's Committee on Globalization in 2004.
Source: Other contributions section
14.In what year was Uma Chowdhry elected as a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society?
- A.1989correct
- B.2003
- C.1996
- D.2011
Uma Chowdhry was elected Fellow of the American Ceramic Society in 1989.
Source: Awards and honors section
15.What reason did Uma Chowdhry provide regarding the alleged link between C8 chemical and deformities in babies born to DuPont employees?
- A.The chemical was proved to be safe
- B.The sample size was not statistically significantcorrect
- C.The deformities were caused by genetics
- D.The chemical was not used at the facility
Uma Chowdhry stated that the sample of babies with deformities was not considered a statistically significant sample in the realm of scientific facts.
Source: Career DuPont section
16.Which university's engineering school advisory board did Uma Chowdhry serve on?
- A.Stanford University
- B.Johns Hopkins University
- C.University of Delawarecorrect
- D.Harvard University
Chowdhry served on advisory boards of engineering schools at MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and the University of Delaware.
Source: Other contributions section
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