Ashwani K. Gupta Appointed Distinguished University Professor

Distinguished University Professor Ashwani K. Gupta

Mechanical Engineering Professor Ashwani K. Gupta has been appointed Distinguished University Professor by the University of Maryland, effective January 1, 2008. This title is the highest academic honor the University of Maryland bestows on members of the faculty and is reserved for a very small number of exceptionally distinguished scholars. The title was awarded to Ashwani Gupta in recognition of his work in combustion science and technology which has earned him national and international acclaim.

“I’m delighted, honored and humbled by this recognition from my colleagues and friends at the University of Maryland,” says Gupta in response to the award announcement.

Distinguished University Professors are selected from faculty who have been recognized nationally and internationally for the importance of their scholarly and/or creative achievements and who have demonstrated the breadth of interest characteristically encompassed by the traditional role of scholar, teacher, and public servant. In 2005, Chair and Professor of Mechanical Engineering Avram Bar-Cohen was appointed as a Distinguished University Professor in recognition of his work in the thermal management of electronic systems.

Gupta’s achievement will be recognized at the next University Convocation and at the Mechanical Engineering Department’s Faculty Recognition Dinner on May 14 from 6pm to 9pm at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.

Last year Gupta was elected Director-Technical of the Propulsion & Energy Group of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and continues to serve on the AIAA Board of Directors. In September 2006, Gupta received the University of Maryland College of Engineering Outstanding Research Award. In 2003, he was also awarded the University of Maryland President Kirwan Research Award. He has also been awarded the American Society of Mechanical Engineers George Westinghouse Gold Medal, James N. Landis Medal and the James Harry Potter Gold Medal, all for his distinguished or eminent achievement in mechanical engineering sciences. He has also received the Propellants and Combustion as well as the Energy Systems awards from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Gupta is internationally known as the father of a new innovative combustion technology called “High Temperature Air Combustion” (HiTAC). The HiTAC principles involve a new combustion regime that results in a green-colored flame or colorless, distributed flame, which is now used in industry for significant energy savings and pollution reduction. He has published over 450 technical papers, three books, nine edited books and eight book chapters.

He has been a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park since 1983, following six years at MIT as a member of the research staff in the Energy Laboratory and Department of Chemical Engineering, and three years at Sheffield University in England as an independent research worker and research fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Fuel Technology. He has over 35 years of experience in combustion engineering since his Ph.D. from Sheffield University in 1973. He was awarded a higher doctorate D.Sc. from Sheffield University in 1986 for his published high-quality original research work. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Society of Automotive Engineers, and the Institute of Energy [U.K.], and Member of the Combustion Institute.

Published February 1, 2008