Bishop’s Lecture Series 2024 | Dr. Peter Kilpatrick

Dr. Peter Kilpatrick will deliver the next Bishop’s Lecture, "What does it mean to be a Catholic University?".

To register, please complete the form at www.bridgeportdiocese.org/bls or email bishopslecture@diobpt.org

The Bishop’s Lecture Series features leading national Catholic writers and speakers who will offer their insights into renewal through truth, beauty and goodness as we seek to accompany all in their journey of faith. The lectures are presented free of charge and are open to all. Bishop Caggiano will offer brief remarks at every lecture.

The mission of the Bishop’s Lecture Series is to provide opportunities for compelling adult faith formation regarding catechetical, theological or pastoral issues of contemporary importance. Each year four lectures will be given in various regions of the Diocese.

Light refreshments will be available prior to the start of the program. After an initial period of prayer, the lecturer will present the talk that will be 45 minutes in length. After a short break, there will be a 30-minute period of conversation and dialogue with participants.

About Dr. Peter Kilpatrick:

Dr. Peter K. Kilpatrick was appointed president of The Catholic University of America in March 2022 and took office on July 1, 2022.

He was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Illinois Institute of Technology from 2018 to 2022 and previously served as professor and McCloskey Dean of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame from 2008 to 2018.

At Illinois Tech, he developed the university’s five-year strategic plan, put in place new leadership, and drove development of an online master of applied science.

During Dr. Kilpatrick’s tenure as dean at Notre Dame, the number of faculty at the College of Engineering grew by more than 60% and enrollment by nearly 70%. External research funding more than doubled to over $50 million per year. He also launched Notre Dame’s first joint Ph.D. program with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, later expanding to programs with universities in Brazil and Hungary.

Dr. Kilpatrick also served on the faculty of North Carolina State University in chemical engineering for 24 years, from 1983 to 2007, the last eight-plus years as the department head. Dr. Kilpatrick also served as the founding director of the North Carolina Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center, a unique good manufacturing practice (GMP) facility that was designed to train the next generation of biopharmaceutical professionals and biotechnology industry professionals.

He is the author of more than 100 refereed journal articles in the areas of colloid and interfacial science, emulsion science, and molecular self assembly, particularly as they apply to energy and to bioseparations. According to Google Scholar, his work has been cited more than 5,300 times, largely in the areas of emulsions and interfacial and colloidal phenomena. He holds or shares 12 patents and has been actively engaged in two startups.

Dr. Kilpatrick is the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards, including the ASEE Regional Teaching Award. He holds an honorary doctorate from the Pázmány Péter Catholic University (Budapest, Hungary), the oldest university in that country. He is past chairperson of the Global Engineering Deans Council and serves as the chairperson of the Clover 2030 International Advisory Board, an initiative focused on reinventing engineering education in Chile.

He received his A.B. in chemistry from Occidental College (summa cum laude) in 1978 and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1983. He and his wife, Nancy, are the parents of four adult children.