David Parrillo

Vice President of
Research & Development

Speaker Biography:

Dave Parrillo is currently the Vice President of Research & Development (R&D) for Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics division. This $29 B revenue division of Dow is key to Dow’s decarbonize and grow strategy and includes Dow’s Hydrocarbons and Energy business.

In his previous role, as Vice President of Core R&D, he managed a global organization that drives the long-term R&D vision for Dow with a broad portfolio of corporate research programs and world leading innovation capabilities that enable technology development across multiple key market segments. Critical capabilities include High Throughput R&D, Computational Modeling, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Formulation & Material Science, Recruiting, Analytical, University and Government Relations and External Funding, Sustainability & Life Cycle Analysis, and Engineering & Process Sciences.

Dave joined Dow in 2007 and developed new business strategies for several business platforms for Dow’s Technology Licensing & Catalyst Business. In 2008, Dave became the Sr. R&D Director for Ventures & Business Development and worked to evolve Dow’s strategy in the lithium-ion battery market, leading to the formation of the Dow Kokam Joint Venture. In 2009, Dave became the Global Director for Dow Solar Solutions R&D. He assembled the team and created the reliability engineering strategy, which led to a UL certified, residential solar building product, enabling the commercial launch of the Dow POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle. The Dow POWERHOUSE™ team received numerous awards, for example: The 2010 Environmental Excellence in Emerging Technology, and the 2012 Edison Award for Global Best New Product. Additionally, Dave championed several innovative venture capital investments within the solar space leading to Dow’s acquisition of a select company. In 2012, Dave joined the Packaging & Specialty Plastics business managing R&D/TS&D. He led the team for six years to innovate with product launches focused on providing business value and driving sustainable solutions across the value chain, for example: Agility™ Performance LDPE resins, Symbiex™ ultra-fast curing solvent-less packaging adhesives, INNATE™ precision packaging polyethylene resins, Recycle Ready™ Stand Up Pouch technology, and INNATE™ Tenter Frame Biaxially Oriented Polyethylene (TF-BOPE) resin. These innovations have received numerous awards, including: 2015-2017 R&D 100 Awards, the 2015 German Packaging Award, and the 2015 the Ringier Technology Innovation Award. In 2018 Dave joined Industrial Intermediates and Infrastructure (II&I) managing R&D for the Polyurethanes, Construction Chemicals, Oil and Gas, and Industrial Solutions businesses. The II&I portfolio has some $13 Billion in sales and provides specialty solutions in the areas of Consumer Comfort, Energy Efficiency, Oil & Gas Processing, Transportation, and Infrastructure. During Dave’s leadership of II&I R&D, the team’s new products have received numerous awards including The 2021 the Business Intelligence Award for The World's First Commercial Polyurethane-Carbon Fiber Spar Cap for a New Generation of Wind Blades, The 2021 FUTUREDGE50 Award for Predictive Intelligence, an Artificial Intelligence Chemical Formulation Capability, The 2020 Best Sustainable Product for its RENUVA™ Mattress Recycling Program in Chemical Week’s Sustainability Awards, and The 2018 R&D 100 Award for the ECOFASTTM Pure Sustainable Textile Treatment.

Previously, Dave held positions at General Electric and Air Products and Chemicals.

Dave holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. His past board and leadership positions include the board of the NuvoSun company, the board (and Treasurer) of the Materials Research Society, the board of the West Midland Family Center, and the Leadership Council of Manufacturing Foresight. Dave is a member of the National Academy of Engineers and currently holds board positions with Texas A&M Engineering Experimental Station, The External Advisory Board at UC Santa Barbara for Chemical Engineering, The Board of Cancer Services of Midland, and The Advisory Board of AIChE’s Institute for Learning and Innovation. In 2023 Dave was honored with the Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research. He is the inventor of fifteen U.S. patents, has authored/coauthored twenty publications in scientific literature, and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Whitney Technical Achievement Award.