Michael T. Harris

Professor Harris is an outstanding researcher, teacher, and citizen. He also excels at mentoring undergraduates, many (more than 40) of whom have benefited by conducting research in his laboratory. Professor Harris brings a broad perspective in many areas important to the College of Engineering's strategic plan, especially through his commitment to diversity and the creation of a climate which results in a better community for our students.

Professor Harris joined Purdue in 2002 and was previously associate professor at the University of Maryland (1996-2002). He received his BS in 1981 from Mississippi State University and both his MS (1987) and PhD (1992) degrees from the University of Tennessee. Professor Harris's research is in the area of particle science and technology, and electrodispersion precipitation processes. He has collaborated on multidisciplinary and multi-institution efforts requiring a range of powerful direct probing methodologies including dynamic light scattering, X-ray scattering, and NMR spectroscopy. He has also developed numerical algorithms that use finite element and hybrid-boundary element/finite element methods to solve electrohydrostatic and electrohydrodynamic free surface problems. In addition, he has initiated a collaborative research program on coating of nanosized tobacco mosaic virus particles, which holds tremendous potential for advanced nanoelectronics and sensor applications. He has received awards from such institutions as DOE and NIST, as well as an NSF Career Award. He received the 2005 AIChE Minority Affairs Committee Grimes Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering.

Professor Harris has been an outstanding citizen at Purdue. He chaired the graduate student recruiting committee for several years in the School of Chemical Engineering and was instrumental in recruiting and in writing and getting funded proposals to support these initiatives. In 2006 he received the College of Engineering Outstanding Advisor Award. He also serves on various committees at both the college and institution level. He was selected in 2003 as a University Faculty Scholar and in 2005 was appointed associate editor of the Journal of Nanomaterials. He also serves on the College of Engineering Advisory Council.