Internationally recognised chemical engineer speaks at Imperial College London

Annual Roger Sargent lecture explores chemical engineering systems - News

Tuesday 5 December 2006
By Naomi Weston

This year's Roger Sargent lecture at Imperial College London will be given by Erik Ydstie, Professor of Chemical Engineering, from the Carnegie Mellon University, on 7 December 2006.

He will discuss how nonlinear network theory helps design adaptable chemical engineering systems.

The lecture is organised by the Centre for Process Systems Engineering (CPSE), a joint Research Centre between Imperial College and University College London. Head of the Centre Professor David Bogle says: "It is a great honour for us to welcome Prof Erik Ydstie to give this year's Roger Sargent Lecture. Prof Ydstie is well known for his internationally recognised contributions to both Chemical Engineering and Control Engineering. He brings to his talk deep technical knowledge together with the industrial experience he gained as Research Director of Elkem."

Professor Bogle adds: "It is a pleasure for us to welcome him back to Imperial where he gained his PhD under Roger Sargent's direction."

Professor Ydstie will use the lecture to explain how the productivity of business and industries can be maximised by modelling factors, such as supply chains and information systems, using networks of distributed devices analogous to complex electrical circuits.

Applications for this have included solar grade silicon production, glass manufacture, automotive windshield production, and silicon and aluminium smelting.

Professor Ydstie gained his PhD at Imperial College and has spent his career since then in the USA. He is currently Professor of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and Professor II of Materials Technology, at the Norwegian Technical University. He has authored over 100 articles on process control, optimisation and modelling of chemical processes.

The Roger Sargent Lecture will take place on Thursday 7 December at 17.30 on Imperial’s South Kensington campus. It is sponsored by ABB, one of the world's largest automation companies.

To confirm attendance, contact Monica Nestor on m.nestor@imperial.ac.uk