Academic and Career Accomplishments
Thomas E. Carney was born and raised in Ravenna and graduated from Ravenna High in 1973. Tom’s interest in science began at an early age, and was nurtured by his excellent math and science teachers in high school. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Chemistry from Ohio University Honors Tutorial College in 1977. He married his high school sweetheart Patricia Sperry (Ravenna High 1972, Ohio U., 1976) in 1977, and they moved to Chapel Hill, NC, where Tom received a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1981 from the University of North Carolina. Following graduate school, Tom began his professional career with the E.I. Du Pont Co. in Wilmington, Delaware.
Tom’s 36 year career in Research and Development at DuPont has spanned a wide variety of products and technologies. The products he has invented can be found everywhere from Macy’s to the Apple store. He is the sole inventor of a novel Lycra fiber product for swimwear that transformed Lycra business, and Tom traveled the world to commercialize the product at various manufacturing sites. In the Electronics business he developed a product for flexible printed circuits that is widely used in smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and for which he received the prestigious Bolton/ Carothers Innovative Science Award. These and other products he developed have collectively generated more than $2 billion in revenue for DuPont. Tom’s career in R&D advanced to Senior Research Fellow, the highest technical level in the business. He holds more than 100 patents worldwide, along with numerous publications, technical presentations, and invited talks.
In addition to his technical contributions, Tom enjoys his role as a mentor to junior scientists, taking great satisfaction in seeing them grow and advance. In 2017, Tom was awarded the Lavoisier Medal for Technical Achievement, the highest award in DuPont, which honors scientists who have demonstrated a career of creative technical achievements that have resulted in significant business impact and enduring scientific value. Tom and Pat celebrated their 41″ wedding anniversary in 2018 and are looking forward to retirement, travel, hobbies, spending time with family, and doting on their 3 cats.