A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Klier joins the university from The Dow Chemical Co., where he currently serves as global research and development director for the Performance Materials and Chemicals Segment. At UMass Amherst, as the new head of the Chemical Engineering Department, Klier will develop a leading interdisciplinary research program devoted to understanding and controlling molecular architecture, association behavior and properties of interactive and responsive polymers, colloids and amphiphiles. PSE welcomes Klier as an adjunct professor.