Edwin N. Lightfoot

Edwin N. Lightfoot is a Chemical Engineer and the Hilldale Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is known for his research in transport phenomena, including biological mass-transfer processes, mass-transport reaction modeling, and separations processes.^[1] He, along with R. Byron Bird and Warren E. Stewart, is the author of the classic textbook Transport Phenomena.^[2] Lightfoot is a recipient of National Medal of Science in 2004.^[3]

Education and career

Lightfoot received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University. He began his teaching career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later became a Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Currently he is the Hilldale Professor Emeritus in the Department. His research interest are in the development of improved separation processes and controlling the dynamics of biological systems.

Awards and honors

Lightfoot is a recipient of the National Medal of Science; the Medal was awarded by President George W. Bush "for his innovative research and leadership in transport phenomena focusing on biochemical and biomedical engineering with application to blood oxygenation, bioseparation techniques, and diabetic responses."^[3] In 1991, he was awarded the "Warren K. Lewis Award" for Chemical Engineering Education of the AIChE. Lightfoot was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1979.

Books

Lightfoot is the coauthor of several influential books in transport phenomena and rheology, including the classic textbook Transport Phenomena which was translated into many foreign languages, including Spanish, Italian, Czech, Russian, and Chinese.

• Transport Phenomena, with R. Byron Bird and W. E. Stewart, Wiley, (1960, 2nd ed. 2002).

References