PRESS RELEASE (November 1998)

Mark A. Stadtherr, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, has received the 1998 Computing in Chemical Engineering Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). This award cites his innovative problem-solving strategies for chemical process simulation and optimization, and pioneering work on applying advanced computer architectures in chemical engineering computing. This is the top national award for outstanding contributions in the field of computing in chemical engineering. The award was presented in November 17, 1998 at the annual national meeting of the AIChE.

Stadtherr received the B.Ch.E degree in 1972 from the University of Minnesota, and did his graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, receiving the Ph.D. degree in 1976. From 1976-1995, he was on the chemical engineering faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined the faculty at the University of Notre Dame in 1996, where he teaches and does research in the area of chemical process systems engineering.

Stadtherr's primary research interests are in the development and application of new problem-solving strategies for chemical process modeling, simulation and optimization. Some particular areas of interest include large-scale sparse matrix computations, use of parallel computing technology, applications of interval mathematics, thermodynamic modeling and analysis, and environmentally conscious process design. He has worked with over 20 Ph.D. students doing work in these areas, and is an internationally known author and lecturer in the field of chemical process systems engineering. He also has interests in curriculum development and is currently collaborating on a National Science Foundation project whose goal is to incorporate the results of recent and ongoing research on environmentally conscious chemical process design into the chemical engineering curricula. This effort reflects the changing focus of environmental research efforts from remediation to prevention.