William R. Schowalter Lecture

Bill's accomplishments span seminal research in fluid mechanics, visionary academic leadership as department chair at Princeton and dean of engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and high-level international engagement as senior adviser to three presidents at the National University of Singapore and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

 

Reflecting Bill’s broad contributions to chemical engineering, the lecture’s focus will alternate on a yearly basis between fluid mechanics research, broadly understood to include complex fluids and soft condensed matter, and typically delivered by an academic speaker, and topics of general interest to our profession, the latter typically delivered by an industrial speaker.

 

The William R. Schowalter lecture will be given by Alice P. Gast, President, Imperial College London.

 

Alice P. Gast, President, Imperial College London

William R. Schowalter is an inspiring and distinguished scientist, author, educator and leader.  His approach is decidedly collaborative, international and cross-disciplinary. His research combines elaborate mathematical models and insightful theory with innovative experiments.  His writings bring insights to generations of students of nonNewtonian fluid mechanics and colloid science.  He doesn’t shy away from the difficult and challenging.  He brought his multidisciplinary, insightful and collaborative approach to his leadership of the Princeton Department of Chemical Engineering, the College of Engineering at University of Illinois and numerous professional organisations.  In this lecture I will reflect on the lessons we learn from Bill’s career and the fascinating behaviour of nonNewtonian fluids and colloids.