John Baumann: Academy of Distinguished Engineers - 2026

John Baumann has spent more than two decades at the forefront of pharmaceutical drug delivery, translating engineering fundamentals into medicines that reach patients.

Baumann’s career began at Bend Research, where he spent nearly 16 years working across R&D, process development, and clinical and commercial manufacturing. He joined as the company evolved from a Pfizer-funded research group into a full contract development and manufacturing organization, helping shape that transformation by developing novel spray drying processes, equipment designs, and scale-up strategies for internal innovation and customer programs.

One project stands out for him. “I was a key member of a team that developed a novel spray drying process to significantly increase solubility of drugs by 10-fold in organic solvents,” Baumann said. “From being a part of the early design, development and testing of the process to seeing it leveraged for manufacturing a customer’s commercial oncology compound really made it come full circle from vision to reality.”

Following Bend Research’s acquisition by Capsugel in 2013 and later by Lonza in 2017, Baumann continued expanding commercial-scale manufacturing capabilities and strengthening spray drying expertise across Lonza’s platforms. Today, as head of Advanced Engineering Technologies for Advanced Synthesis R&D, he leads a cross-functional team focused on pharmaceutical formulation, process development, and novel equipment design, connecting science and engineering to solve complex challenges for customers.

“Working in the pharmaceutical drug delivery area provides a way for me to lead innovations critical for delivering new medicines to patients,” he said. “It is a rewarding experience to use traditional engineering and problem-solving approaches to increase the quality of life for people.”

Baumann traces much of that approach to his time at Oregon State, where he earned his B.S. in Bioengineering in 2002. The College of Engineering, he says, gave him a versatile toolkit for defining problem statements and developing solutions grounded in mechanistic understanding, plus the chance to explore new interests like pottery and whitewater kayaking.

Baumann is an author and inventor in pharmaceutical engineering, and in 2014 received the Oregon Stater Council of Outstanding Early Career Engineers award. He remains connected to Oregon State as a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, supporting the next generation of engineers.