George Scherer

George W. Scherer received his BS and MS degrees in 1972 and PhD in 1974, all from MIT, where his thesis work was on crystal growth in glass. At Corning Glass Works from 1974 to 1985, his research included optical fiber fabrication, viscous sintering, and viscoelastic stress analysis. The latter work was the subject of his first book, Relaxation in Glass and Composites (Wiley, 1986). In Central Research at DuPont from 1985 through 1995, his work dealt principally with sol-gel processing, and especially with drying. In collaboration with Jeff Brinker of Sandia National Labs, he wrote a book entitled Sol-Gel Science (Academic Press, 1990). In February, 1996, he became a full professor at Princeton University. His current research involves mechanisms of deterioration of concrete and stone, particularly by crystallization of ice and salts in the pores.

 

 

Scherer is a fellow of The American Ceramic Society and a member of the Materials Research Society. In 1997 he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He is the author of ~350 papers and holds 10 U.S. patents.

 

From the ACerS, he has received the Morey Award (1985), Ross Coffin Purdy Award (1986), Fulrath Pacific Award (1990), Sosman Award (1994), and the Brunauer Award (2001, 2002, and 2007). He has also received the Weyl Award from the International Congress on Glass (1986) and the Iler Award from the American Chemical Society (1995). He received the Princeton Engineering Council Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2001 and 2003, and the School of Engineering & Applied Science Distinguished Teacher Award in 2002.