Derek Thurman Named to Executive Committee – Industrial Advisory Board

On March 18, 2022, Dr. Derek Thurman was appointed to the Executive Committee of the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) of the Nonwovens Institute (NWI) at North Carolina State University.

Dr. Thurman received his B.S. in Chemistry from Abilene Christian University and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The California Institute of Technology with a focus upon the flow-induced crystallization behavior of polypropylene.  In 2005, he joined ExxonMobil Chemical Company where he worked on novel adhesive materials, battery separator films as well as new propylene-based products for nonwovens applications.  In 2011, Dr. Thurman began applying his technical knowledge to the market development activities for several novel adhesive technologies gaining commercial experience while providing customers with technical depth.  In 2015, he returned to the Research organization working on a series of exploratory polyethylene developments before in 2017 assuming the first of a series of Product Development management roles with increasing responsibility.  Dr. Thurman holds over 20 granted and pending US patents as well as their foreign counterparts.

Dr. Thurman is currently the Global Product Development Technology Manager for polypropylene, Vistamaxx™ polymers and Exact™ plastomers portfolio of the ExxonMobil Product Solutions Company, a Division of Exxon Mobil Corporation and is located in Baytown, Texas, USA.  His key responsibilities include maintaining a portfolio of new product developments, strategic market engagement and supporting regional business teams.

The IAB and its Executive Committee provide membership oversight, program review and policy guidance to the Institute.

NWI is the world’s first accredited academic program for the interdisciplinary field of engineered fabrics. Based at the Centennial Campus of NC State University in Raleigh, NWI is an innovative global partnership between industry, government, and academia. NWI has over 45 member companies / organizations spanning the breadth of the Nonwovens value chain.  https://thenonwovensinstitute.com

Exxon Mobil Corporation and its affiliates have been contributing to the progression of Nonwovens for over 40 years. The Corporation currently supplies the Nonwovens Industry with differentiated products and application innovation through its ExxonMobil Product Solutions Company, a division which includes one of the largest chemical companies in the world and holds leadership positions in some of the largest-volume and highest-growth commodity chemical products.  www.exxonmobil.com