Phillip R. Westmoreland - Vita

Phillip R. Westmoreland

westm@ecs.umass.edu
Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Massachusetts Amherst
159 Goessmann Laboratory, 686 N. Pleasant St.
Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9330
(413) 545-1750 Phone/voicemail
(413) 545-1647 FAX

[On leave: NSF, Arlington VA, (703) 292-8695]

Education

Employment

Professional Society Memberships

  • American Chemical Society.
  • Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
  • Combustion Institute.
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science.

    • Awards and Honors

  • George Lappin Award, .merican Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2007.
  • Outstanding Senior Faculty Award, College of Engineering, UMass Amherst, 2006.
  • David A. Shirley Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2005.
  • William H. Corcoran Award, American Society for Engineering Education, 2002.
  • MSI Materials Science Academic Award, 2001.
  • Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, College of Engineering, 1992.
  • BCR / R. A. Glenn Award for Best Paper, A.C.S. Fuel Chemistry Division, 1992.
  • NATE Award (Central New England AIChE Tribute to Excellence), 1991
  • Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation, 1990-95.
  • General Electric Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Engineering, 1990.
  • AIChE Public Relations Award for Local Sections, 1977.

    • Professional Activities

    National and International:
  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers:
  • Board of Directors, 2008-2010.
  • AIChE National Program Committee, Executive Board (EBPC), Member 2000-2006; 2nd Vice Chair 2003, 1st Vice Chair 2004, Chair 2005.
  • AIChE Computational Molecular Science and Engineering Forum, CoMSEF, Past Chair, 2002-2002; Founding Chair, 2000-2001.
  • AIChE Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum, NSEF, Formation Committee, 2003; Liaison Director, 2003-2005.
  • Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division, Board member 1999-2002.
    •
  • Council for Chemical Research: Governing Board Member, 2005-07; Executive Committee, 2007; Chair, Governance Committee, 2007.
  • Combustion Institute:
  • Board of Directors, 2002-2008;
  • Joint Executive Committee of the U.S. Sections, 2001-03;
  • Institute Publications Committee, 2000-02; Program Subcommittees, 23rd-29th International Symposia on Combustion, 1989-present; Publication Committee, 25th-27th International Symposia on Combustion, 1994, 1996, 1998.
  • Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute: Chair, 2001-03; Vice Chair, 1999-2001; Papers Chair, 1997-99; Program Chair, 1995-97; Executive Committee Member-at-Large, 1993-1997.
  • CACHE Corporation (nonprofit: Computer Aids for Chemical Engineers):
  • President, 2004-2006; Vice-President, 2002-2004; Secretary, 2000-2002. Board of Trustees, 1999-present.
    •
  • Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, Editorial Advisory Board, 1998-2000.
  • International Journal of Chemical Kinetics, Editorial Advisory Board, 2000-2002.
  • International Comparative Study of Applying Molecular and Materials Modeling, Chair, 1999-2000.
    • Meeting organization
  • Organizing Committee and Senior Advisor, 4th CAChE Conference on "Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation," 2009.
  • Organizing Committee and Senior Advisor, 3rd CAChE Conference on "Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation," 2006.
  • Organizing Committee and Senior Advisor, 2nd CAChE Conference on "Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation," 2003.
  • Co-chair, Colloquium on "Reaction Kinetics of Combustion," 29th International Symposium on Combustion, 2002.
  • Organizing Committee, Knowledge Foundation "2nd International Conference on Multiscale Modeling," Brookline MA, 2001.
  • Co-Chair, AIChE Topical Conference on "Applying Moleular Simulation and Computational Chemistry," Reno NV, 2001.
  • Co-Chair, 1st CAChE Conference on "Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation," 2000.
  • Co-Chair, AIChE Topical Conference on "Applying Molecular Simulation and Computational Chemistry," Miami Beach FL, 1998.
  • Organizing Committee, "Design of a Chemical System with Targeted Properties," DOE Vision 2020 Roadmap Conference, Washington DC, 1998.
  • Co-Chair, NSF Workshop on "Future Directions in Engineering Applications of Molecular Simulations and Computational Chemistry," Arlington VA, 1997.
  • Organizer, Fourteenth Northeast Regional Meeting on Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics, Amherst, 1996.
  • Organizer, "Symposium on Computational Chemistry and Its Industrial Applications," AIChE, 1994 and 1996.
  • Co-Organizer, "Symposium on Gas-Phase and Surface Chemistry in Electronic Materials Processing," Materials Research Society, Boston, 1993.
  • Organizer, "Symposium on Combustion Chemistry," ACS, New York, 1991.
    • Local:
  • Director, Central New England Section, AIChE, 1989-1992.
  • Chair, Western Massachusetts Section, AIChE, 1988-1989.
  • Knoxville/Oak Ridge Section, AIChE. Public Relations Chair (1976), Secretary (1977).
    •  College of Engineering and University service:
  • Chair, Tang Lecture Committee, 2001-2006.
  • University Chemical Hazards Committee, 1993-2003.
  • Summer Freshman Orientation academic adviser (College), 1987-1992, 1995-1997, 2001-06.
  • Publications Board (College), 1994-2000.
  • Search Committee for Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, 1994; for Vice Chancellor for Research, 2003; for Director of Libraries, 2005.
  • College Curriculum Committee, 1987-89.
    •
    Departmental service:
  • Department Head (Acting), 2003-2005.
  • Outreach xiCcoordinator, 1997-2003.
  • Building Committee (ECSC II), 1994-2004.
  • Departmental Personnel Committee, 1993-94 (Chair), 2000-01, 2001-02 (Chair).
  • Faculty Search Committee, 1988-89, 1991-92, 1993-94, Chair 2001-02, 2002-03.
  • Graduate Program Director, 1994-97, 2000-01.
  • Minority Engineering Program undergraduate adviser, 1990-92 and 1993-2000.
  • ChE Department Head Search Committee, 1996-97.
  • AIChE Student Chapter advisor, 1991-92.
  • Departmental Seminar coordinator, 1987-89.
  • Computer Committee, 1987-89.
  • Library representative, 1986-1987.
    •

    Research Interests

  • Energy. Molecular-beam mass spectrometry; prediction of elementary-reaction combustion kinetics; modeling with detailed chemical mechanisms. Formation and destruction of small hydrocarbons, aromatics, biofuels, NOx, fluorinated hydrocarbons. Homogeneous and heterogeneous ignition and extinction. Oxidation chemistry of hydrocarbon/Cl2 flames. Chemistry of flame suppression.
  • Theoretical and computational chemistry. Use of codes to generate thermochemistry of molecules, radicals, and transition states. Reaction theories including Quantum-RRK, RRKM, and Master-Equation theories. Development of Bond-Energy Bond-Order Population method (BEBOP) for calculation of molecular energies.
  • Polymer decomposition kinetics and thermochemistry. Experiments (TGA, DSC, GC/MS), ab initio quantum chemistry (bond and conformation energies, transition states), mechanism development. Flammability characterization of polymers.
  • Plasma-enhanced CVD of diamondlike carbon and silicon-containing films. Measurements including microprobe and molecular-beam mass spectrometry; prediction of elementary-reaction kinetics; process modeling.

    • Teaching Experience

  • Material and energy balances (UG), kinetics and reaction engineering (G,UG), thermodynamics (G), heat transfer (UG), mass transfer (UG), process dynamics and control (UG), unit-operations laboratory (UG), "Chemical Principles of Engineering" (G, G/UG), combustion chemistry (G).
  • External short courses on "Quantum Chemistry for Engineers and Chemists in the Chemical Process Industries" with Gaussian, Inc. (1997, 1998); "Applying Molecular Modeling and Simulation" with AIChE (1998, 2001, 2002); "Molecular Modeling: Quantum Chemistry" for ASEE Summer School for Chemical Engineering Faculty (2002, 2007); and "Kinetics from Quantum Chemistry" for international PPEPPD conference (2007).
  • Supervision of seventeen Ph.D. and eight M.S. theses; service on 51 other thesis committees.

    • Publications

    78, plus one co-authored book, four edited books, and 207 presented papers and posters. Recent papers (2007-08) include:
  • C.A. Taatjes, N. Hansen, D.L. Osborn, K. Kohse-Höinghaus, T.A. Cool, P.R. Westmoreland. "Imaging Combustion Chemistry via Multiplexed Synchrotron-Photoionization Mass Spectrometry." Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. (Invited review), 10, 20-34 (2008).
  • P. Oßwald, U. Struckmeier, T. Kasper, K. Kohse-Höinghaus, J. Wang, T.A. Cool, N. Hansen, P.R. Westmoreland. "Isomer-specific fuel destruction pathways in rich flames of methyl acetate and ethyl formate and consequences for the combustion chemistry of esters." J. Phys. Chem. A 111(19), 4081-4092 (2007); DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp068337w
  • N. Hansen, T. Kasper, S.J. Klippenstein, P.R. Westmoreland, M.E. Law, C.A. Taatjes, K. Kohse-Höinghaus, J. Wang, T.A. Cool, "Initial steps of aromatic ring formation in a laminar premixed fuel-rich cyclopentene flame." J. Phys. Chem. A 111(19), 4093-4111 (2007); DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp0683317
  • K.D. Smith, S.I. Stoliarov, M.R. Nyden, P.R. Westmoreland. "RMDff: A Smoothly Transitioning, Forcefield-Based Representation of Kinetics for Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations." Molecular Simulation 33(4-5), 361-368 (2007).
  • M.E. Law, P.R. Westmoreland, T.A. Cool, J. Wang, N. Hansen, T. Kasper. "Benzene Precursors and Formation Routes in a Stoichiometric Cyclohexane Flame." Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 31, 565-573 (2007); DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2006.07.259
  • T. A. Cool, J. Wang, N. Hansen, P.R. Westmoreland, F. L. Dryer, Z. Zhao, A. Kazakov, T. Kasper, K. Kohse-Höinghaus. "Photoionization mass spectrometry and modeling studies of the chemistry of fuel-rich dimethyl ether flames, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 31, 285-293 (2007); DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2006.08.044
  • K. Kohse-Höinghaus, P. Oßwald, U. Struckmeier, T. Kasper, N. Hansen, C.A. Taatjes, J. Wang, T.A. Cool, S. Gon, P.R. Westmoreland. "The influence of ethanol addition on a premixed fuel-rich propene-oxygen-argon flame." Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 31, 1119-1127 (2007); DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2006.07.007
  • N. Hansen, J.A. Miller, C.A. Taatjes, J. Wang, T.A. Cool, M.E. Law, P.R. Westmoreland, T. Kasper, K. Kohse-Höinghaus. "Photoionization Mass Spectrometric Studies and Modeling of Fuel-Rich Allene and Propyne Flames." Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 31, 1157-1164 (2007); DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2006.07.045
    •

    Go to Prof. Westmoreland's faculty page.
    Go to the ChE Department's Home Page.

    Last update: November 30, 2007.
    Contact westm@ecs.umass.edu for corrections.