John Parks

VP Process Engineering

John Parks is a globally recognized leader in bromine technology, bringing more than four decades of expertise in chemical process innovation, scale-up, and commercialization. He is also highly distinguished for his leadership in lithium, having served as Global Program Manager reporting directly to Albemarle’s CEO for a pioneering project to recover lithium from Smackover brine. In this role, John led teams in the U.S. and Europe, as well as an academic spin-off company, to develop direct lithium extraction processes based on multiple adsorbents—working with sorbent suppliers, advancing binder technologies, and driving process development from concept to scale-up.

Over his 40+ year career at Ethyl Corporation and Albemarle, John held a variety of senior technical and management positions, including Process Design, Plant Technical Services, Process Development, and Process Evaluation. He also served as Research and Development (R&D) Director for Albemarle’s $700 million Fine Chemistry Division, where he oversaw all new and custom manufacturing projects. In this role, he directed lab-scale process development, cost evaluations, and global technology transfers—covering projects from small-quantity pharmaceutical production to large-scale industrial chemical manufacturing.

Earlier in his career, John held leadership roles including Manager of Manufacturing Process Technology, Manager of Corporate Process Evaluation, Director of the Corporate Process Design Group, and Senior R&D Director for the Fine Chemistry Services Global Business Unit. Under his leadership, John and his teams successfully developed and scaled approximately 200 chemical processes in his final 15 years at Albemarle, consistently delivering efficiency gains, cost reductions, and competitive differentiation.

A prolific innovator, John is the inventor on 12 U.S. patents—including breakthroughs in solids purification and novel reaction technology—spanning new product development, process design, and process simulation. His technical and commercial achievements have had a transformative impact across sectors ranging from fine chemistry to large-volume specialty manufacturing.

 Following retirement from Albemarle, John served as President of Technechem LLC and as an Adjunct Faculty member at Louisiana State University, where he taught Unit Operations in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Through Technechem, he consulted for more than 20 clients, helping innovators translate laboratory breakthroughs into commercial processes.

At ALiBrX, John applies his unmatched expertise in bromine and lithium process engineering to advance the company’s next-generation extraction technologies, ensuring scalable, efficient, and market-ready solutions that redefine industry standards.

John earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arkansas and was inducted into the Arkansas Academy of Chemical Engineers in 2014, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the profession and the chemical industry.