Biography
Dr. Richard J. Spontak is a Distinguished Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, and Alumni Distinguished Graduate and Undergraduate Professor at North Carolina State University.
He received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering (with honors/high distinction) from the Pennsylvania State University in 1983 and was later awarded the Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1988. He then pursued post-doctoral research in Materials Science & Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge (U.K.) and Condensed Matter Physics at the Institute for Energy Technology (Norway) before joining the Corporate Research Division of The Procter & Gamble Company in 1990.
In 1992, he accepted a faculty position at North Carolina State University, where he supervises the Macromolecular Materials & Morphology Group. Since that time, Spontak has published over 300 peer-reviewed journal papers and over 35 scholarly works as book chapters and invited monographs, and his work has been featured on 31 journal covers and cited over 14,000 times according to Google Scholar (as of November 2021).
Research Description
Focus Areas - Polymer Morphology and Phase Stability. Multifunctional and Nanostructured Polymers, Blends and Networks. Application of Microscopy Techniques to Polymer Science and Engineering.
Honors and Awards
•Distinguished Alumnus Award, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society , 2021
•International Award, Society of Plastics Engineers, 2015
•Elected Member, Norwegian Academy of Technol. Sci., 2015
•Lars Onsager Professorship and Medal, Norwegian Univ. Sci. and Technol., 2012
•Colwyn Medal, Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, 2011
•Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award, American Chemical Society (Rubber Division), 2008
•Board of Governors' Award for Excellence in Teaching, NC State University, 2008
•Ernst Ruska Prize, German Electron Microscopy Society , 2007
•Cooperative Research Award in Polymer Science, American Chemical Society (PMSE Division), 2006
•Outstanding Research Award, NC State Alumni Association , 2005