DuPont Announces Two Technology Leaders as DuPont Laureates

"It is a great honor to join this group of legendary technical experts," said Sands. "I am excited that DuPont values the contributions of the engineers and scientists that design, safely operate, and maintain our manufacturing facilities, as well as those that invent new products and processes for the benefit of our customers."

Over a 34-year career, Sands has served as the DuPont and internationally recognized expert in Automation & Process Control (A&PC), including Alarm Management (AM), Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), and Human-Machine Interface (HMI) design. He drives competitive advantage for DuPont through the development and application of innovative proprietary automation strategies that enable the safe and efficient operation of processes. He has directly contributed to the success of over $1 billion in capital projects, including the new world-class Tyvek^® production line in Luxembourg.

Sands has played a pivotal role in developing the first industry standard for Alarm Management, which, together with training and guidance, improved process safety worldwide. He championed the implementation of Alarm Management across DuPont and led substantial improvements to SIS practices. He was instrumental in creating and introducing SIS metrics to raise awareness of risks, and in promoting the adoption of the company-standard application for SIS documentation, using new technology to increase the digitalization of SIS work processes.

Sands is widely regarded for his coaching, training, mentoring of colleagues, and building teams to enhance the capability of process safety and automation resources, thereby developing the next generation of experts and leaders across the company and the industry.

Sands is also a highly respected technical leader in process automation industry organizations, recognized for his long-term commitment to developing industry standards and his service in various leadership roles. He has received the International Society of Automation (ISA) Standards Excellence Award and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standards Exceptional Achievement Award. Additionally, he was honored as an ISA Fellow and was inducted into Control Magazine's Process Automation Hall of Fame.

Sands earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Virginia Tech.