November 6, 2008

Gubbins receives R.J. Reynolds award

Dr. Gubbins (Photo: Submitted)

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Dr. Keith E. Gubbins, W.H. Clark Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University, is the 24th recipient of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research and Extension. Dr. Louis A. Martin-Vega, dean of the College of Engineering, presented Gubbins with the award on Nov. 5. The presentation was followed by Gubbins’ lecture, “Molecular Modeling of Matter: Impact and Prospects in Engineering.”

The award was established in 1981 by the College of Engineering to honor members of the engineering faculty who excel in several areas of activity that relate to the University’s three-fold mission of teaching, research and extension. The annual award is supported by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company through the North Carolina Engineering Foundation, Inc. Winners receive a $25,000 prize distributed over five years.

Gubbins, who studies the behavior of nano-dimensional fluids and solids, is a highly accomplished educator and researcher. His numerous contributions to chemical engineering have made him one of the most influential researchers in the field. He leads the Gubbins Research Group at NC State, which works to develop models that accurately describe fluids and solids at the molecular level. The research group includes graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

Gubbins has received dozens of national and international honors during his decades-long career, including induction to the National Academy of Engineering in 1989. He won the Alpha Chi Sigma Research Award in 1986 and the William H. Walker Award for Excellence in Contributions to Chemical Engineering Literature in 2001, both from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). He was elected as an AIChE Fellow in 2003.

He is internationally known for his research in the areas of confined materials, molecular simulation, adsorption and surface properties. He has amassed some 18,000 citations and is the co-author of five books and more than 450 published papers. He has advised 43 Ph.D. candidates and 48 postdoctoral associates over the course of his career. He has also hosted 118 visiting professors and scholars over the last 20 years.

Gubbins received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1958 and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1962, both from the University of London. He spent his postdoctoral years at the University of Florida and rose to the rank of full professor. He left Florida in 1976 to become the T.R. Briggs Professor at Cornell University and was director of the university’s School of Chemical Engineering from 1983 to 1990; he remains a professor emeritus at Cornell. He joined the faculty at NC State in 1998. Throughout his career, he has held numerous visiting appointments at institutions around the world.

He continues to provide his students with multiple opportunities for professional advancement, and his excellent mentorship attracts students from all over the world. He has built a considerable professional following through his colleagues, who describe him as a dynamic, disciplined and collegial scholar.

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