UF Engineering Professor Elected To National Academy

February 21, 2002

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A University of Florida engineering professor and expert in particle science and technology is the state’s only researcher elected to the National Academy of Engineering this year.

Brij Moudgil, a professor of materials science and engineering and director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Particle Science and Technology at UF, is the 18th UF faculty member elected to the National Academies. Membership in the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering or Institute of Medicine is among the highest honors a scientist or engineer can achieve.

“I’m highly appreciative of the support that I have received from the department, the college and the UF administration,” Moudgil said. “I’m also proud that I received this award for the work I’ve done in my career here at the University of Florida engineering college. This is more proof of the university’s status as a first-quality institution.”

Academy membership honors engineering researchers who have made “important contributions to engineering theory and practice” and demonstrated accomplishment in “pioneering new and developing fields of technology.”

The academy cited Moudgil “for advances in mineral processing through innovations in selective polymer and surfactant coatings, and for professional leadership.”

Moudgil’s research has led to advances not only in mineral processing, but also in the microelectronics, paint and pulp, and pharmaceutical industries. For example, his research in understanding the mechanisms of drugs, preservatives and additives has led to better glaucoma treatments. His work in microelectronics research has led to a better method for chemical-mechanical polishing of silica wafers used in electronics.

Among many other advances, Moudgil and a colleague have developed a new approach to removing ink from paper expected to have a significant impact in the paper recycling industry. His current research also has important applications for the remediation of pollution in soil and the creation of better drug delivery systems.

Moudgil, who joined UF in 1981, received his bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. He did his graduate work at Columbia University in New York, where he received his master’s and doctorate in engineering sciences. He has published more than 170 technical papers and has presented more than 350 papers at scientific meetings and seminars. He also has been awarded 13 patents and received several major awards. He is a member of a half-dozen engineering societies and serves on the board of the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.

Moudgil joins four other engineering faculty members in the National Academy of Engineering. Pramod Khargonekar, dean of the engineering college, said his election is a proud moment for the college.

“This is a tremendous honor and recognition for Dr. Moudgil’s outstanding contributions to engineering research, education and professional leadership,” Khargonekar said. “The college is very proud to have Dr. Moudgil on our faculty, and we are fortunate to benefit from his great scholarship as well as his leadership of the particle science and technology center.”

Moudgil is married, with three children. His wife, Sheela, is a certified public accountant CPA who works in the UF finance and accounting division. The couple’s oldest daughter, Suniti, is a doctoral student in chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Their second-oldest daughter, Sarika, is a business analyst at Exxon Mobile in Houston. Their youngest child, a son, Bharat, is in ninth grade at the Eastside High School International Baccalaureate Program.