Recognizing this gap, Stephanopoulos, along with other leaders in the field, spearheaded an initiative to create a new society that would serve as a formal bridge between chemical engineering and the biological sciences. On a snowy January day in 2002, more than 75 leaders convened at AIChE’s New York headquarters and decided to form SBE. This initiative was enthusiastically supported by the AIChE President and Board of Directors, who saw the value in establishing a dedicated home for chemical engineers in the bio area and strengthening the presence of biological sciences within chemical engineering.
Stephanopoulos’ leadership helped establish SBE in 2004, and he served as a founding leader and later as chair. Today, SBE has grown significantly, with thousands of members, international affiliates, and a robust portfolio of conferences and awards, far surpassing the original goals envisioned by Stephanopoulos and his colleagues.