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Neal r. aMUNdsoN
1916–2011
elected in 1970
“For pioneering contributions to the fundamental analysis of
chemical processes and leadership in chemical engineering education.”
By daN lUss aNd arViNd VarMa
Neal r. aMUNdsoN, cullen Professor emeritus of
chemical and Biomolecular engineering and professor of
mathematics at the University of Houston, passed away
peacefully on february 16, 2011, at the age of 95. He was a
transformational figure, considered by many to be the most
prominent and influential chemical engineering educator in
the United states.
His contributions to the chemical engineering profession
were both revolutionary and multifaceted. They included
introducing science into a field that before his time was
dominated by an empirical and qualitative approach.
amundson charted an innovative course that transformed
the profession and led to the development of a science-based
methodology guided by quantitative analysis. starting in the
1950s, he repeatedly demonstrated the advantages of applying
mathematical modeling and advanced solution techniques
to predicting the behavior of complex chemical processes
and systems. He pioneered the application of advanced
mathematical techniques to understand the behavior of
chemical processes, including chemical reactors, separation
systems, polymerization, coal combustion, and atmospheric
science. His research led to a deeper understanding of such
systems and contributed to their better and safer design and
operation. This approach is now widely followed all over the
world in education, research, and practice.
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22 MeMorial TriBUTes
amundson made major contributions in research,
education, and academic and professional leadership. He
authored more than 200 articles in journals and five books. This
research led to many advances in the design and operation
of chemical processes. He guided the research of nearly 70
Ph.D. students. He was a most influential mentor, and many
of his students achieved prominent positions in universities
and industry, such as department chairs, deans, chief
executive officer of Exxon Mobil, and members of the National
academies. He served as the U.s. editor of the journal Chemical
Engineering Science during 1957–1972 and led its establishment
as the foremost journal of the profession then. He also served as
editor of the Prentice-Hall international series in the Physical
and chemical engineering sciences, from its inception in 1961
until the year 2000.
amundson had a major impact on changing the techniques
and methodology used to tackle chemical engineering
problems. His professional leadership roles included chairing
the National research council committee that prepared the
report titled Frontiers in Chemical Engineering: Research Needs
and Opportunities (1988), which charted new directions and
expansions for the profession, such as materials science
and bioengineering. amundson was also a most successful
academic leader. He was appointed head of the department
of chemical engineering at the University of Minnesota in
1949, at the relatively young age of 33, and remained in that
position for the next 25 years, until 1974. With his own brilliant
research and the hiring of outstanding faculty members, he
transformed the department from relative obscurity to the
top-ranked program in the country. He had the vision to
foresee that infusion of talent from other disciplines can enrich
education and research in chemical engineering. Thus, among
his early faculty hires were individuals with a background in
microbiology, mathematics, and chemistry, who themselves
made enormous contributions to the field. Thus, Amundson
was the earliest proponent of interdisciplinary research,
so common in universities today. The magnitude of his
contributions was recognized by the University of Minnesota
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Neal r. aMUNdsoN
when it named the building housing the chemical engineering
department as amundson Hall in 1979. amundson joined
the department of chemical engineering at the University of
Houston in 1977 and led to its prominence as well.
during his career, amundson received a large number
of prestigious awards from professional societies, such as
the american institute of chemical engineers, the american
society of engineering education, and the american
chemical society. He was elected as a member of many
prestigious societies, including the National academy of
engineering (1970), the National academy of sciences (1992),
and the american academy of arts and sciences (1992). The
international symposia of chemical reaction engineering
named an award in his honor to recognize a pioneer in the
field and made him the first recipient in 1996. He also received
the Nae founders award (1990) and honorary doctorate
degrees from the University of Minnesota, the University of
Notre dame, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of
guadalajara, and Northwestern University.
Neal amundson was born on January 10, 1916, in st. Paul,
Minnesota. He earned both a B.s. and an M.s. in chemical
engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1937 and 1941,
respectively, and a Ph.d. in mathematics from Minnesota in
1945. He married shirley dimond on september 25, 1941, who
survives him along with their children, gregg, Beth, and erik
as well as six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
among his hobbies was that of raising orchids, and at one time
he held one of the largest private collections in the country.
