Ryan Dirkx, Ph.D., is vice president of research and development for Arkema Inc. He is responsible for all R&D in North America and R&D coordination between the United States and France. Arkema research supports the company’s businesses in thiochemicals, fluorochemicals and hydrogen peroxide, functional additives, technical polymers, and PMMA (Plexiglas®).

A twenty-year veteran of Arkema, Inc. (formerly Atofina Chemicals), Dirkx was most recently worldwide director of R&D for PMMA (Altuglas International). Before that he directed R&D for businesses within the Technical Polymers and Performance Products divisions, as well as holding business and market management positions within the Specialty Chemicals division.

Dirkx has a Ph.D. in solid-state science from Pennsylvania State University and a B.S. in ceramic engineering from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He has a successful track record of bringing new products to market and holds a number of patents.  He has a successful track record of bringing new products to market and holds a number of patents.  He is a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and is the current Chairman of the Industrial Research Institute.