Department of Chemistry

Dr. Zhenwen Fu arrived at the University of Utah's Department of Chemistry in 1984, having just completed a joint English-training program at UCLA and Zhongshan University after earning his B.S. in Physical and Physical Organic Chemistry at Jilin University. Little did he know, the spectroscopy work he was about to begin would set the foundation for a 31-year career spanning two of the world’s largest chemical companies, nine U.S. patents, eight commercialized products, and two prestigious R&D awards.  

Building a Foundation in Salt Lake City 

Along with the guidance of Professor Michael Morse, Fu spent five years probing the electronic and geometric structure of metal and semiconductor clusters. This work later became his dissertation, Electronic and Geometric Structure of Metal and Semiconductor Clusters (Nanoparticles). His graduate research produced a string of publications in the Journal of Chemical Physics and the Journal of Physical Chemistry, examining everything from jet-cooled aluminum dimers and trimers to the spectroscopy of nickel-copper and platinum clusters. After completing his Ph.D. in 1989, he stayed for a year as a Research Fellow before heading east to Pennsylvania to begin his industrial career at Rohm and Haas Company.  

Three Decades of Innovation in Coatings and Inks 

Fu joined Rohm and Haas Company in 1991 as a Senior Scientist in Analytical Research, where he developed four new analytical techniques. To study latex film formation, Fu developed TGA-mass spectrometry and transient light scattering, work that was cited widely across the polymer science field. Over the next two decades, he rose through Rohm and Haas (later Dow Chemical, following the 2009 acquisition) into roles of increasing scientific and organizational leadership: Senior Scientist and Project Team Leader in Exploratory Polymer Research and Paper Research, Principal Scientist leading a 20-person R&D and technical service organization for the company's Ink and Imaging Business, and ultimately R&D/TS&D Fellow in Dow's Industrial Coatings division from 2010 to 2023. 

As a Fellow, Fu led the identification and development of future Fellows across the Coatings Materials Business Global Leadership Team organization, helped design the competency roadmap for a technical organization of more than 300 employees, and served as a Fellow Staff on the Coating Leadership Team. 

One of Fu’s significant contributions was Designed Diffusion, a technology platform that reimagined how coalescent packages and polymer systems interact during film formation. This platform was a new strategy for low-VOC formulation. He also pioneered a platform for imbibing solvent-based resins into latex polymers, opening a path to combine the environmental benefits of water-based coatings with the performance of solvent-based systems in both thermosetting and thermoplastic applications. Colleagues would later credit him as the creator of AEH (Acrylic Epoxy Hybrid) technology, which won Dow an R&D 100 Award in 2022 for its use in green bike-lane coatings and was a finalist for the same award in 2017 for freight container coatings. 

Across his career, Fu authored or co-authored more than 30 patents, contributed to two books on coatings and digital textile printing, and won the 2014 Roon Award, considered one of the coatings industry's highest technical honors long with a Best Paper Award at the 2009 European Coatings Show and the Otto Haas Award, and Rohm and Haas's top honor for scientific achievement. 

A Mentor as Memorable as His Molecules 

What stands out as much as the patent count is the volume and warmth of tributes Fu received upon his retirement from Dow in 2023. Colleagues from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, to Shanghai, China, described him not just as a brilliant scientist but as a generous mentor and a steady, humble presence. Colleagues credited him with helping them find their footing at the company, guiding their careers through candid technical and personal advice. One colleague quoted a Chinese proverb to describe Fu’s mentor capabilities: “师者，传道授业解惑也”. This translates to “A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts.” 

Still Building 

After retiring from Dow Chemical Company, from 2024 to 2025, Fu took on a new challenge as Global Manufacturing Director at ValTech Corporation. Zhu oversaw production operations for wafer fabrication materials.  

Dr. Zhenwen Fu’s career spanned across the Wasatch Front where he first probed the structure of metal clusters in a molecular beam, to boardrooms and labs across two continents. Dr. Zhenwen Fu's career is a testament to the kind of foundational scientific training the University of Utah's Department of Chemistry has long been known for. But it also a testament to the character of Fu including his genuine curiosity, humility, and passion for life and his career.  

October 2, 2026

Asena Ellington