{"682650":{"#nid":"682650","#data":{"type":"news","title":" Cyrus K. Aidun: A Pioneering Force in Engineering Innovation at Georgia Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/aidun\u0022\u003ECyrus Aidun\u003C\/a\u003E has been a distinguished professor at Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E since 2003. His career is marked by groundbreaking research and significant contributions to fluid mechanics and bioengineering, establishing him as a leading figure in these fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn particular, Aidun has focused on industrial competitiveness. His efforts to reduce energy and water consumption in fiber composite products have attracted significant attention and funding. This research is critical for developing sustainable and cost-effective manufacturing processes while reducing environmental impact.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs principal investigator, Aidun has received funding for major projects from the Department of Energy\u2019s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (DOE-EERE, with Devesh Ranjan as co-principal investigator), the DOE\u2019s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (with Art Rangauskas at the University of Tennessee). These projects are affiliated with Aidun\u2019s development of the Multiphase Forming Lab at Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/rbi\u0022\u003ERenewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI)\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe only one of its kind in North America, this innovative system significantly reduces the amount of water required to process paper. As a result, the heat and energy needed to dry the paper \u2014 typically an energy-intensive process \u2014 are also reduced. The Multiphase Former uses up to 70% less water, which substantially lowers the energy required for drying. This research, which began about five years ago, has drawn broad interest from industry. A more recent project, funded by DOE-EERE and led by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/j-carson-meredith\u0022\u003ECarson Meredith\u003C\/a\u003E, combines Multiphase Forming with the latest technologies in refining and drying.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAidun earned his bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and completed his Ph.D. at Clarkson University in 1985. He joined the Woodruff School in 2003 after serving two years as a program director at the National Science Foundation. He began at Georgia Tech in 1988 as an assistant professor at the Institute of Paper Science and Technology. Previously, he was a research scientist at Battelle Research Laboratories, a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University, and a senior research consultant at the National Science Foundation\u2019s Supercomputer Center at Cornell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAidun has received several national and international honors, including the National Science Foundation Presidential Investigator Award, the Gunnar Nicholson Fellowship, and the L.E. Scriven Award from the International Society of Coating Science and Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/aidun\u0022\u003ECyrus Aidun\u003C\/a\u003E has been a distinguished professor at Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E since 2003. His career is marked by groundbreaking research and significant contributions to fluid mechanics and bioengineering, establishing him as a leading figure in these fields.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New Multiphase Forming Facility Opens, Demonstrating Water and Heat Reduction Opportunities in Papermaking "}],"uid":"36695","created_gmt":"2025-06-04 15:40:51","changed_gmt":"2025-06-04 15:40:51","author":"jmartin482","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-05-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-05-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"372221","name":"Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI)"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188020","name":"go-rbi"},{"id":"98751","name":"College of Engineering; George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"2106","name":"Paper"},{"id":"130851","name":"paper and pulp"},{"id":"788","name":"Water"},{"id":"194538","name":"conserve energy"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["jennifer.martin@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}