http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9582-1554
We are pleased to dedicate this special issue to celebrate the 75th birthday of our Editor-in-Chief Prof. Arun S. Mujumdar, who was instrumental in establishing the journal with late Dr. Carl W. Hall in 1982 and took over as Editor-in-Chief in 1988.
While being well known to the drying research community as well as the readers of this journal, we still believe it is useful for archival reason to provide a brief biography of Prof. Mujumdar; interested readers can find detailed write-ups on the career and professional accomplishments of Prof. Mujumdar elsewhere.[Citation1,Citation2] Prof. Mujumdar obtained his first degree in chemical engineering from the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT), Mumbai, India in 1965. He then went on to obtain his M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering from McGill University in 1968 and 1971, respectively. After a stint at an industrial R&D center (Carrier Corp.) and serving as a research associate at McGill University and Pulp & Paper Research Institute of Canada, he joined the faculty of the Department of Chemical Engineering at McGill University in 1975 and served there until 2000 before moving across the globe to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National University of Singapore (NUS) where he served as Professor of Mechanical Engineering until 2013. He also served as the Founding Director of the Mineral, Metal & Materials Technology Center (M3TC) of NUS from 2006-2013.
Extracting from his very extensive curriculum vitae we note the following selected achievements:
Over 550 publications in international journals, with close to 50,000 citations and h-index of 90 (Google Scholar Citations, February 2020)
Over 350 conference papers and presentations; over 75 plenary/keynote lectures at international conferences
Two authored books; 70+ edited books; 150+ book chapters; 8 e-books (freely downloadable); 10+ M3TC technical reports for free downloads, among others
Over 75 doctorates and 35 postdoctoral fellows mentored (at McGill University, NUS and other institutions)
Founder/Chair of International Drying Symposium Series, Asia Pacific Drying Conference Series, among others
Organizer/Chair of Scientific Committees of over 60 international conferences
Honored with Doctor Honoris Causa by Lodz Technical University, Poland (2008) and University of Lyon 1, France (2011)
An award named after his name (Prof. Mujumdar Medal for Excellence in Drying and Outstanding Mentorship, which is given on an annual basis at the International Drying Symposium and Asia-Pacific Drying Conference since 2007)
A visiting professorship/fellowship named after him (Prof. Mujumdar Visiting Professorship/Fellowship at the Institute of Chemical Technology, India)
Selected for five-year appointment to the prestigious China Government Program entitled ‘Overseas Distinguished Professor’ at the School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Recipient of several major prestigious awards from China, including Award for International Cooperation in Science & Technology (2014) and the Friendship Award (2014)
Professor Mujumdar has provided global leadership for over four decades to the drying R&D community, leading to near explosive growth in scientific and technical knowledge in drying in diverse industries since the IDS meetings were initiated in 1978 and through numerous other conference series devoted to drying. He is credited globally for bringing to academia and industry the importance of thermal dehydration to enhance energy efficiency, while improving quality of the dried products in a sustainable way. Prof. Mujumdar has also been instrumental in leading the movement toward innovation, globalization, networking and industry-academia collaboration in drying research and development.
Besides all the Guest Editors of this special issue, who have been mentored by Prof. Mujumdar in one way or another, many all around the globe are touched by his mentorship, generosity and kindness. When we set out to compile the issue to celebrate this important milestone for Prof. Mujumdar, we contacted his friends and associates who are at the top of the field for contributions. We received an overwhelming response and are therefore able to publish only selected items in the issue upon peer reviews.
We hope the reader will enjoy the contents of this special issue. We particularly hope Prof. Mujumdar will enjoy the contents of this special issue and that the issue will serve as a pleasant and memorable gift to mark his landmark 75th birthday!
Bangkok, Thailand
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Agus P. Sasmito
Montreal, Canada
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Sachin V. Jangam
Singapore
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