(128d) LS Fan: Inspiring Educator and Innovator

I will present a short overview of our work on nature-inspired chemical engineering (NICE) as a method to dynamically structure fluidized beds, harnessing fundamental insights from scalability and pattern formation in natural systems to apply to gas-solid fluidization with its many industrial applications. Parallel to this overview, I will discuss the impact of Professor LS Fan on me as an engineer, researcher, educator and in leadership positions over the past 25 years, as my own career developed from TU Delft to Rensselaer and UCL. Along the way, LS Fan’s impact evolved from encouragement to my early ideas as starting researcher in fluidization; lessons from his educational research articles, books, and presentations; work on AIChE committees; to insights on commercialisation (from his impressive work on scaling up chemical looping) and on topics well beyond fluidization, such as approaches to academic leadership. Every conversation was edifying. Mentorship evolved into friendship. LS Fan’s modesty and humility through his listening as well as thoughtful advice given to me as someone who was never formally his student, but also others I have been able to witness, are testament to his intellectual and emotional intelligence and skills as selfless educator and mentor.