Rowan University professor emerita named Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year

Longtime Rowan University chemical engineering professor Zenaida Otero Gephardt, Ph.D., has been recognized as Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year by the Engineers’ Club of Philadelphia. Gephardt was jointly nominated for this honor—which recognizes professional excellence, civic duty, environmental stewardship and enhancement of society—by the Delaware Valley section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers. 

“What makes this so meaningful is that the people who nominated me have known my work and who I am as a person for a long time,” Gephardt said. 

Gephardt will receive the award on February 13 at the 2025 Delaware Valley Engineers Week Opening Ceremony in Philadelphia, which kicks off National Engineers Week. There, she will speak alongside the 2025 Young Engineer of the Year, Jaclyn Whelan, PE. 

“The program is a celebration of engineering and engineering education,” Gephardt said, “and I am honored to be part of it.”

Throughout her career, Gephardt has focused her research on engineering analytics and experimental design. Applying her work in various industries, she has optimized processes ranging from the extraction of a critical nutrient for salmon aquaculture from naturally growing algae to the sterilization of food product powders using ultraviolet radiation. 

Gephardt earned her undergraduate degree at Northwestern University and her master’s and doctorate from the University of Delaware. During her 38-year career at Rowan University, Gephardt served in roles that included director and assistant dean of engineering, and professor of chemical engineering. Since retiring in July 2023, she has remained in close connection with the University as professor emerita. 

“We are proud to see Dr. Gephardt recognized for her dedication to engineering, education, and mentorship,” said Giuseppe R. Palmese, Ph.D., dean of the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering. “Her impact on Rowan University and beyond is enduring, and this honor reflects her technical contributions and passion for inspiring future engineers.” 

Gephardt has been recognized with numerous awards over her career, including the Chemical Engineer of the Year award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Delaware Valley Section in 2024 and the Eminent Engineer Award from the AIChE Minority Affairs Committee in 2019. One of the most meaningful honors she has received is Rowan University’s Lindback Excellence in Teaching Award (2009). 

“I value my students, learn from them, and am still inspired by them, so I take that award as a really valuable statement of my work with students,” she said. 

In addition to her contributions to the engineering profession and engineering education, Gephardt considers her most important contribution to be her two adult children who, she said, “are strong and wonderful contributors to their communities and their professions.” 

As Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year, Gephardt will serve as the regional ambassador for engineering and engineering education. 

“It’s an opportunity to advocate for engineering which improves quality of life and to inspire the engineers of the future,” Gephardt said. “Engineers are innovators and builders who advance communities and economies—and to build the engineers of the future, we need to make sure that young people know that.”