William Ristenpart is Selected for the American Physical Society Fellowship
William Ristenpart, professor of chemical engineering at the University of California, Davis, has been elected to the 2024 class of the American Physical Society, or APS, Fellows.
The prestigious honor recognizes members for their outstanding contributions to advancing physics, which may include exceptional original research and publication, exemplary advancements in physics education, service and participation in APS activities, or meaningful innovations in the application of physics to science and technology.
Ristenpart, whose research focus is on complex transport phenomena, has received the Division of Fluid Dynamics Fellowship for impactful experimental and theoretical studies in fluid mechanics and transport processes, including coalescence, colloidal electrokinetics and aerosol transport relevant to diseases.
He is also recognized for his insights into transport phenomena relevant to making coffee. Ristenpart is the co-director of the UC Davis Coffee Center, a center for excellence for the UC Davis College of Engineering and the first multidisciplinary research facility to address the challenges and needs of the coffee industry through coffee science and education.
Ristenpart earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering at UC Davis and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University. He spent time as a postdoctoral scholar at Harvard University before rejoining UC Davis as a faculty member. During his time at UC Davis, Ristenpart has been named the Joe & Essie Smith Endowed Professor of Chemical Engineering and a UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow.
"Ever since I was a graduate student, I have loved interacting with and learning from the physics and fluid mechanics communities,” Ristenpart said. “I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to work with great students in applying fundamental physics to interesting challenges in fluid mechanics, like airborne disease transmission, colloidal electrokinetics, and even how best to brew coffee. I'm very honored to be elected as an APS fellow, and I look forward to continue working on fascinating fluids problems."