Nance Dicciani (born 1947) is an American chemical engineer. She contributed significantly to the development of ultrasonic scanners for examining pregnant women with her doctoral dissertation, "Ultrasonically-Enhanced Diffusion of Macro Molecules in Gels." Her experience in chemistry and business have resulted in her achieving top positions in several companies, most recently Specialty Materials, a strategic business group of

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...

. ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' magazine has ranked her as one of

The World's 100 Most Powerful Women Since 2004, the American business magazine ''Forbes'' compiled an annual list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. It is edited by notable ''Forbes'' journalists, including Moira Forbes, and is based on visibility and economic impact. Fo ...

Background and education

Nance Dicciani was born in 1947 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Her father was an industrial engineer, who supported her interest in the sciences. She studied chemical engineering, obtaining a bachelor's degree at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

in 1969, a masters at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

in 1970, and her doctoral degree from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1977. In her doctoral dissertation, "Ultrasonically-Enhanced Diffusion of Macro Molecules in Gels," she applied chemical engineering to

medical imaging Medical imaging is the technique and process of imaging the interior of a body for clinical analysis and medical intervention, as well as visual representation of the function of some organs or tissues (physiology). Medical imaging seeks to rev ...

, work that significantly contributed to the development of ultrasonic scanners for examining pregnant women. In 1987, she earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton Business School.

Career

In 1977, Dicciani became an engineer with Air Products and Chemicals. She was promoted to various positions in research and development, achieving the position of director of commercial development in 1988. She was involved in developing the company's first non-cryogenic process for the separation of nitrogen and oxygen from air, and in identifying a new catalyst for producing benzene from coke. In 1991, Dicciani was hired by Rohm and Haas as business director for its Petroleum Chemicals Division. By 1999, she had become senior vice president. In November 2001, Dicciani became president and chief executive officer of Specialty Materials, a strategic business group of

. Specialty Materials, based in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

, provides specialty materials, including fluorine products; specialty films and additives; advanced fibers and composites; intermediates;

specialty chemicals Speciality chemicals (also called specialties or effect chemicals) are particular chemical products which provide a wide variety of effects on which many other industry sectors rely. Some of the categories of speciality chemicals are adhesives, agr ...

; electronic materials and chemicals; and technologies and materials for petroleum refining. Dicciani is credited with having cut costs, boosted sales and emphasized innovation at Specialty Materials. Nance Dicciani retired from Honeywell as of April 14, 2008.

Honors and awards

In 2006, Dicciani was appointed by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to the

President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is a council, chartered (or re-chartered) in each administration with a broad mandate to advise the president of the United States on science and technology. The current PCAST w ...

(PCAST). She also currently serves on the executive committee of the American Chemistry Council and chairs the Board Research Committee. Dicciani is also a vice president of SCI, the

Society of Chemical Industry The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) is a learned society set up in 1881 "to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for the public benefit". Offices The society's headquarters is in Belgrave Square, London. There are semi-in ...

and serves on their executive committee. Dicciani serves on the boards of directors for Halliburton,

Praxair Praxair, Inc. was an American worldwide industrial gases company. Founded in 1907, Praxair was the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and the third-largest worldwide by revenue. In 2018 it merged with Linde AG to form ...

, and Rockwood Holdings, Inc. She also serves on the board of trustees of Villanova University. She has received a number of awards, including a 1987 Achievement Award from the

Society of Women Engineers The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is an international not-for-profit educational and service organization. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in the United States, the Society of Women Engineers is a major advocate for women in engineering and ...

. She was the 2003 Warren K. Lewis Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

and has been ranked one of “

” by ''

'' magazine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dicciani, Nance 1947 births Living people American chemical engineers Scientists from Philadelphia American women scientists Women chemical engineers University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni American chemical industry businesspeople 21st-century American engineers 20th-century American engineers 20th-century American women engineers 21st-century American women engineers Villanova University alumni Wharton School alumni Engineers from Pennsylvania