Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering professor William S. Hammack has been named a Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering. Named faculty appointments are awarded to the most distinguished scholars for their excellence and prominence in research, teaching and service. Grainger Distinguished Chairs in Engineering are made possible by the Grainger Engineering Breakthroughs Initiative, resulting from a $100 million investment in The Grainger College of Engineering by The Grainger Foundation. Hammack’s appointment became effective August 16, 2023.
Hammack has been on the ChBE faculty at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 1997, where – in addition to educating students – he has pioneered new and novel approaches to engineering outreach. He is the creator and host of the popular YouTube channel engineerguyvideo and has created a groundbreaking series of over 200 pieces for public radio that described what engineers do, why they do it and how. His efforts have been recognized by The National Association of Science Writer’s Science in Society Award, the American Chemical Society’s Grady-Stack Medal, and the American Institute of Physics’ Science Writing Award. He is a recipient of the Carl Sagan Award for the Public Appreciation of Science, and the Hoover Medal, which is conferred upon an engineer whose professional achievements and personal endeavors have advanced the well-being of humankind. Hammack was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2022.
The Investiture ceremony for Hammack will be held at a future date, to be announced.