F. E. (Emil) Jacobs

Emil joined Exxon Research and Engineering Company (ER&E) in 1978 at the company’s development laboratory in Baytown, Texas. He held various technical positions in synthetic fuels and petroleum processing R&D, and then progressed to site operations manager. In 1986, Emil transferred to Exxon Chemical Company in Houston, Texas where he held a number of management positions in Basic Chemicals Technology, Basic Chemicals Planning, and Polyethylene Marketing. In the marketing role, he was instrumental in commercializing a new polyethylene product that has become the largest polymer business in ExxonMobil Chemical. In 1995, Emil moved to England to become the global manager for Exxon's fuel additives business. A year later he returned to Houston as the global Vice President for the Elastomers business. 

In 1999, Emil was appointed global Vice President, Basic Chemicals and Intermediates Technology. He initiated a number of programs that improved the company’s ability to process a range of chemical feedstocks to increase operating flexibility and improve business profitability. As part of this assignment, he was also involved in the Exxon/Mobil merger transition team for the Chemical Company. 

In 2002, Emil was appointed to his current position, where his contributions have included developing the company’s model-guided research approach; implementing cross-functional teams to enhance technology discovery, development, and deployment; and increasing the company’s focus on emerging energy technology research. 

Emil is a member of the Chemical Engineering Advisory Council at Princeton, the Advisory Board of the College of Chemistry at University of California (Berkeley), the Board of Trustees at Liberty Science Center, the Industrial Research Institute, and the Research and Development Council of New Jersey. He is also a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering and the American Chemical Society. 

Emil has a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Rice University and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University.