Amir Faghri
Encyclopedia
Amir Faghri is an American
professor
and leader in the engineering
profession as an educator, scientist
, and administrator
.
He is currently a professor of Mechanical Engineering
at the University of Connecticut
. Faghri served as Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1994–1998, and Dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Connecticut from 1998–2006. Faghri is well known for his contributions to the field of heat transfer
. He is arguably the world’s leading expert in the area of heat pipes and a significant contributor to thermal-fluids engineering in energy systems
.
and Ph.D.
degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1974 and 1976, respectively. He received his B.S.
degree from Oregon State University
with highest honors in 1973.
in the presence of phase-change materials for thermal energy
storage in space. This breakthrough led to a more rational design of cooling systems for NASA
and the U.S. Air Force. In the 1990s, he developed high heat flux
miniature heat pipes for commercial cooling of laptop computer chips, which have been a principal contributor to the ubiquitous presence of heat pipes for cooling microprocessors
in present-day laptop computers.
) in 1976. He was one of the founding faculty members and administrators who established Isfahan University of Technology
in 1977. He served on the faculty of IUT until 1980 as the founding director of its Energy Division (now separated into the Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering
Departments). In 1981, he joined the University of California, Berkeley as a visiting professor to teach thermal and energy courses. Following Berkeley, Faghri joined the faculty of Wright State University
in 1982 and was promoted to Brage Golding Distinguished Professor in 1989. He developed a nationally-recognized heat transfer group and laboratory at WSU, interacting extensively with NASA and the U.S. Air Force.
Faghri joined the University of Connecticut in 1994 and served as Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1994–1998, United Technologies Corporation Chair Professor in Thermal-Fluids Engineering from 2004–2010, and Dean of the School of Engineering from 1998–2006. During his tenure as Dean, he attracted corporate and alumni support to establish 17 endowed professorships, including 11 chair professorships. He increased total enrollment by 106%, increased the number of merit scholarships by approximately 200%, and added three new buildings/facilities. He also doubled the number of undergraduate degree programs from 6 to 12. Faghri was the founder of the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center (renamed later as the Center for Clean Energy Engineering) at the University of Connecticut.
Thermophysics Award in 1998, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Heat Transfer Memorial Award in 1998, the ASME James Harry Potter Gold Medal in 2005, and the ASME/AIChE Max Jakob Memorial Award
in 2010, which is considered the highest honor in the field of heat transfer. Faghri has been a longtime fellow of the ASME and an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. He was also inducted to the Oregon State University Council of Distinguished Engineers in 1999.
His signature work, Heat Pipe Science and Technology, ranks as the most widely cited book on the subject of heat pipes by Google Scholar
. His textbook, Transport Phenomena in Multiphase Systems, presented, for the first time, a unified fundamental treatise
on all three forms of phase change — boiling
and evaporation
, melting
and solidification, and sublimation
and vapor deposition
. His latest textbook, Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer, covers the subject of heat and mass transfer with a focus on the recent advances in the field.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and leader in the engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
profession as an educator, scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
, and administrator
Administrator
Administrator may refer to:* Administrator , a person for the performance or management of administrative business operations* Administrator of the Government, in various Commonwealth realms and territories...
.
He is currently a professor of Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
. Faghri served as Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1994–1998, and Dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Connecticut from 1998–2006. Faghri is well known for his contributions to the field of heat transfer
Heat transfer
Heat transfer is a discipline of thermal engineering that concerns the exchange of thermal energy from one physical system to another. Heat transfer is classified into various mechanisms, such as heat conduction, convection, thermal radiation, and phase-change transfer...
. He is arguably the world’s leading expert in the area of heat pipes and a significant contributor to thermal-fluids engineering in energy systems
Energy systems
There are three sources of Adenosine triphosphate , the body's main energy source on the cellular level.*ATP-PC system - This system is used only for very short durations of up to 10 seconds. The ATP-PC system neither uses oxygen nor produces lactic acid if oxygen is unavailable and is thus said...
.
Education
Amir Faghri received his M.S.Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1974 and 1976, respectively. He received his B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
with highest honors in 1973.
Technical Contributions
Faghri is the author of four books and has published more than 300 archival technical publications, including 200 journal papers. He holds eight U.S. patents related to heat pipes, energy storage devices, and fuel cells. Faghri serves on the editorial boards of eight scientific journals, including the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, the International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, Heat Transfer Engineering, Frontiers in Heat and Mass transfer, and Frontiers in Heat Pipes in roles such as executive editor, editor-in-chief, founding editor, and honorary editorial board member. In the 1980s, he unraveled complex thermal problems, including convectionConvection
Convection is the movement of molecules within fluids and rheids. It cannot take place in solids, since neither bulk current flows nor significant diffusion can take place in solids....
in the presence of phase-change materials for thermal energy
Thermal energy
Thermal energy is the part of the total internal energy of a thermodynamic system or sample of matter that results in the system's temperature....
storage in space. This breakthrough led to a more rational design of cooling systems for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and the U.S. Air Force. In the 1990s, he developed high heat flux
Heat flux
Heat flux or thermal flux is the rate of heat energy transfer through a given surface. The SI derived unit of heat rate is joule per second, or watt. Heat flux is the heat rate per unit area. In SI units, heat flux is measured in W/m2]. Heat rate is a scalar quantity, while heat flux is a vectorial...
miniature heat pipes for commercial cooling of laptop computer chips, which have been a principal contributor to the ubiquitous presence of heat pipes for cooling microprocessors
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
in present-day laptop computers.
Career
Amir Faghri started his academic career at Aryamehr University (now Sharif University of TechnologySharif University of Technology
Sharif University of Technology is a university of higher education in technology, engineering and physical sciences in Tehran. Sharif University of Technology is one of the most prestigious universities in the country, and is considered Iran's MIT...
) in 1976. He was one of the founding faculty members and administrators who established Isfahan University of Technology
Isfahan University of Technology
Isfahan University of Technology is one of the most prestigious engineering universities in Iran. It is located 15 Kilometers north west of Isfahan and is one of the major universities and research poles in Iran in the fields of science, engineering and agriculture...
in 1977. He served on the faculty of IUT until 1980 as the founding director of its Energy Division (now separated into the Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
Departments). In 1981, he joined the University of California, Berkeley as a visiting professor to teach thermal and energy courses. Following Berkeley, Faghri joined the faculty of Wright State University
Wright State University
Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
in 1982 and was promoted to Brage Golding Distinguished Professor in 1989. He developed a nationally-recognized heat transfer group and laboratory at WSU, interacting extensively with NASA and the U.S. Air Force.
Faghri joined the University of Connecticut in 1994 and served as Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1994–1998, United Technologies Corporation Chair Professor in Thermal-Fluids Engineering from 2004–2010, and Dean of the School of Engineering from 1998–2006. During his tenure as Dean, he attracted corporate and alumni support to establish 17 endowed professorships, including 11 chair professorships. He increased total enrollment by 106%, increased the number of merit scholarships by approximately 200%, and added three new buildings/facilities. He also doubled the number of undergraduate degree programs from 6 to 12. Faghri was the founder of the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center (renamed later as the Center for Clean Energy Engineering) at the University of Connecticut.
Honors and Awards
Amir Faghri has received many national and international honors and awards, including the American Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
Thermophysics Award in 1998, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
Heat Transfer Memorial Award in 1998, the ASME James Harry Potter Gold Medal in 2005, and the ASME/AIChE Max Jakob Memorial Award
Max Jakob Memorial Award
The Max Jakob Memorial Award recognizes an eminent scholarly achievement and distinguished leadership in the field of heat transfer. Awarded annually to a scholar by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers , it is the highest honor in the field...
in 2010, which is considered the highest honor in the field of heat transfer. Faghri has been a longtime fellow of the ASME and an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. He was also inducted to the Oregon State University Council of Distinguished Engineers in 1999.
Books
Faghri has authored four books:- Faghri, A., Zhang, Y., and Howell, J. R. (2010). Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer. Global Digital Press, Columbia, MO. ISBN 978-0984276004
- Faghri, A., and Zhang, Y. (2006). Transport Phenomena in Multiphase Systems. Elsevier Academic Press. ISBN 978-0123706102
- Faghri, A. (1995). Heat Pipe Science and Technology. Taylor & Francis Inc. ISBN 978-1560323839
- Faghri, A. (1991). Thermal Science Measurements. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0840368027
His signature work, Heat Pipe Science and Technology, ranks as the most widely cited book on the subject of heat pipes by Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. Released in beta in November 2004, the Google Scholar index includes most peer-reviewed online journals of Europe and America's largest...
. His textbook, Transport Phenomena in Multiphase Systems, presented, for the first time, a unified fundamental treatise
Treatise
A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject.-Noteworthy treatises:...
on all three forms of phase change — boiling
Boiling
Boiling is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding environmental pressure. While below the boiling point a liquid...
and evaporation
Evaporation
Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
, melting
Melting
Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase change of a substance from a solid to a liquid. The internal energy of a substance is increased, typically by the application of heat or pressure, resulting in a rise of its temperature to the melting point, at which the rigid...
and solidification, and sublimation
Sublimation
Sublimation may refer to:* Sublimation , the change from solid to gas without entering liquid phase* Sublimation , the transformation of emotions* Sublimation , a music album by Canvas Solaris-See also:...
and vapor deposition
Vapor deposition
Vapor deposition can refer to:* Chemical vapor deposition* Physical vapor deposition...
. His latest textbook, Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer, covers the subject of heat and mass transfer with a focus on the recent advances in the field.
External links
- Biographical information at the University of Connecticut
- ScienceDirect - In Celebration of Professor Amir Faghri on his 60th Birthday
- Thermal-Fluids Central: e-Books - Amir Faghri
- Google Books - Transport Phenomena in Multiphase Systems
- Thermal-Fluids Central: e-Books - Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer
- Thermal-Fluids Central: Journals - Frontier in Heat and Mass Transfer - An International Journal