Duncan A. Mellichamp
Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemical Engineering
University of California, Santa Barbara
PhD ChE 1964
"At the University of Minnesota, we never accept a piece of experimental data as valid unless it has been tested against a mathematical model."Neal Amundson (Seminar commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Purdue School of Chemical Engineering, 1962)
For his visionary leadership in defining the field of process control, specifically the use of digital computers for data acquisition and control and dynamic simulation, by spearheading the CACHE (Computer Aids for Chemical Engineering Education Corporation) Task Force that provided guidance and tools for researchers in academia and industry.
A pioneering researcher, devoted professor and campus leader, Duncan Mellichamp has dedicated nearly 60 years to the University of California, Santa Barbara and the UC system at large. As one of six founding members of UCSB's Department of Chemical Engineering and the creator of its process-control program, his contributions are fundamental in the department's No. 8 status in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report ranking.
An authority in the field of process control, Mellichamp also was a pioneer in real-time computing, specifically in the use of digital computers for data acquisition and control, and for special purpose dynamic simulation. This field is now well established, but in the 1970s it was a novel research domain which exploded as minicomputer-based applications accelerated with affordable machines like the Data General NOVA and DEC PDP-11, followed by the microcomputer revolution of the 1980s.
Amidst all his high achievement in advancing computing and chemical engineering knowledge, Mellichamp also was a strong administrative advocate for his colleagues. Accomplishments in that arena are among the most significant to him, he says.
"My proudest achievement was probably election to the top position in the University of California Academic Senate," he says. The University of California had nine campuses and 6,000 faculty at the time. Mellichamp led the senate from its Oakland headquarters in determining policy for all academic programs systemwide. "At the same time, I also represented faculty on the UC Board of Regents. When everyone has your email address and phone number and you want to succeed while maintaining an even keel, you had better know what you're doing. Luck won't do it."
Mellichamp and his wife, Suzanne, have also been generous philanthropists in support of future education in engineering. They have endowed 16 faculty chairs at UCSB, established the Mellichamp Lecture Series at Purdue to recognize the work of young researchers in all chemical engineering-related fields, and created the Mellichamp Scholarship for Chemical Engineering at Purdue. They also created the Mellichamp Graduate Student Support Endowment at Purdue. He was awarded Purdue University’s Outstanding Chemical Engineer Award in 2007.
Supporting students has been a lifelong commitment for Mellichamp. His advice for engineering undergraduates today is to learn to communicate well.
"I always tried to teach the importance of being able to communicate — spoken and written — formal and informal," he says. "Doing the best science or engineering or coming up with the best leadership program for your organization is useless unless you can convince others just how good it is and how likely it is to succeed."
Among myriad honors Mellichamp has received throughout his distinguished career, most recently he was inducted into the Control Process Automation Hall of Fame and received the Oliver Johnson Award for Distinguished Leadership in the Academic Senate of the University of California — the senate’s highest honor.
Career Highlights
| 2003-present | Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) |
|---|---|
| 1997-2003 | Special Assistant to Chancellor for External Campus Planning, UCSB |
| 1979-2003 | Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, UCSB |
| 1973-1979 | Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, UCSB |
| 1967-1973 | Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, UCSB |
| 1964-1967 | Research Engineer, DuPont |
Education
| 1959 | BS Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology |
|---|---|
| 1964 | PhD Chemical Engineering, Purdue University |