2027 Medal of Excellence Honorees

Medal of Excellence Award

Paul Segal BS’97 (Chemical Engineering)
Chief Executive Officer
LS Power 

Paul Segal began his career in the mergers and acquisitions group at Smith Barney after earning his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Rutgers, a discipline that taught him how to solve complex problems and shaped his interest in business and finance. Simultaneously, he joined LS Power, founded by his father in 1990, where he oversaw asset management and renewables development for what would become one of the nation's largest independent power and transmission developers.

In 2002, he founded Luminus Management, a hedge fund he grew to over $1 billion in assets, serving as president and portfolio manager until 2011, when he was named CEO of LS Power. Under his leadership, the company evolved from a power generation-focused developer into one of the largest and most diversified energy infrastructure companies in the United States, spanning competitive generation, transmission, renewables, battery storage, energy services, and EV charging. 

Mr. Segal's work in developing efficient, clean electric generation assets led him to identify both promising new business opportunities and a tremendous need for a trained workforce of dedicated professionals with technical backgrounds. To help meet his growing need and give back to the university, Mr. Segal and his wife, Jenna, established the Paul and Jenna Segal Family Foundation Renewable Energy Initiatives Fund at Rutgers in 2023. This fund supports educational activities related to energy renewables and storage, such as Rutgers' Offshore Wind Initiative, as well as undergraduate fellowships and junior and senior capstone projects. 

Distinguished Achievement in Research

C. Jeffrey Brinker BS’72, MS'75, PhD'78 (Ceramic Engineering)
Distinguished and Regents' Professor Emeritus, University of New Mexico
Sandia National Laboratories Fellow Emeritus

C. Jeffrey Brinker is an internationally recognized materials scientist whose pioneering research in sol-gel chemistry, nanostructured materials, and bio-inspired materials has significantly advanced both fundamental science and real-world applications. The exceptional breadth and impact of his research career is reflected in his dual membership in the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Brinker began his professional career at Sandia National Laboratories in 1979 as a member of the technical staff, advancing to Sandia Fellow, a role he held until 2019. He began a joint academic appointment at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 1991 as Distinguished National Laboratory Professor of Chemistry and Nuclear Engineering. Currently a Distinguished and Regents' Professor Emeritus at UNM and a Sandia National Laboratories Fellow Emeritus, his work bridges engineering, materials science, and biomedical innovation. 

Dr. Brinker is the recipient of several honors and awards, including the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award, U.S. Department of Energy; Materials Research Society Medal, Materials Research Society; Edward R. Orton Jr. Memorial Award, American Ceramic Society; election to the National Academy of Inventors; and the Lifetime Achievement Award, International Sol-Gel Society.

Distinguished Achievement in Industry

Jennifer Baxter BS'98, MS'03, PhD'04 (Chemical Engineering)
Senior Vice President, Global Science, Engineering, and Commercialization
Merck & Co., Inc. 

Jennifer Baxter has enjoyed a long and distinguished career at Merck, advancing through increasingly senior technical and leadership roles across pharmaceutical research, development, commercialization, and manufacturing.

Today, she serves as senior vice president, Global Science, Engineering, and Commercialization, at Merck & Co., leading a global organization spanning Merck's manufacturing and development network. In this role, Dr. Baxter provides enterprise-wide technical leadership for the company's Human Health commercial portfolio across small molecules, biologics, and vaccines, and guides strategic investments to modernize laboratory and manufacturing infrastructure to support Merck's future pipeline.

She is also co-chair of Merck's Development and Commercialization Review Committee, an enterprise governance body that oversees Human Health development programs from candidate selection through commercial supply transition. In this capacity, Dr. Baxter advises senior leadership on portfolio progression, commercialization risk, and strategic investment decisions across therapeutic modalities. 

A passionate advocate for advancing women in STEM, Dr. Baxter has served as chair of Merck's Women in Science and Engineering organization. Within Rutgers' Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, she has continued her commitment to mentoring emerging scientific and technical leaders, a commitment she began as a doctoral student in Professor Fernando Muzzio’s lab.

Distinguished Young Alumna

Chloe Lee, BS'18 (Materials Science and Engineering) 
Advanced R&D Manager
Wilson Sporting Goods 

Chloe Lee chose Rutgers for its team and sports environment as much as its engineering program. A lifelong tennis player, she credits the supportive, curious faculty in her program by giving her the perfect foundation to pursue her dream of working in the sports industry.

Ms. Lee joined Wilson Sporting Goods upon graduation, working with tennis balls. Today, she leads R&D across Wilson's full portfolio of tennis, pickleball, and paddle balls, including the official Roland Garros and U.S. Open tennis balls, working directly with players on court to translate their feedback into product improvements. She completed Wilson's first internal life cycle assessment to track the sustainability and impact of tennis and paddle balls, and counts interviewing Roger Federer among her favorite days on the job.

Ms. Lee also leads a team focused on data analytics and data engineering within Wilson's racquet sports R&D division. Her team is building Wilson's internal data science and sports analytics capabilities, with a vision toward AI and machine learning models that bridge the gap between lab testing and on-court player perception. She holds three patents in the racquet sports ball space, with a fourth pending. 

Ms. Lee earned her MBA from Northwestern University, where she received the Dean's Service Award and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. As a former member of the Rutgers women's tennis team, she remains closely connected to the university, working with the men's and women's teams to test new products and gather player feedback.

Corporate Partner of the Year

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is a global leader in security, defense, and aerospace innovation committed to delivering innovative solutions to the world’s toughest challenges. Their teams are comprised of more than 121,000 employees, including hundreds from Rutgers, stationed in every state and overseas. 

Teams are focused on advanced manufacturing, AI and machine learning, engineering and technology, information technology, technical operations, facilities, and more. Others realize literally billions in sales annually for military and commercial projects including tactical aircraft; aeronautical research; missile defense and close combat weapon systems; Sikorsky helicopters; maritime and undersea systems; radar; weather spacecraft; and national security.

Rutgers School of Engineering and the greater university have enjoyed a decades-long collaborative partnership with Lockheed Martin. Their philanthropy exceeds $1 million dollars to date, supporting students’ experiential learning opportunities to ensure their exposure to real-world, practical application of engineering academics. The company shares its expertise and talent at such projects as senior capstone design, the Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology, the ID³EAs initiative, annual SHE-SWE-MEET Career Fair, the campus’s Mega Job Fair, and so much more.