Adrian Bejan is a
Romanian-American
Romanian Americans () are Americans who have Romanian ancestry. According to the 2023 American Community Survey, 425,738 Americans indicated Romanian as their first or second ancestry, however other sources provide higher estimates, which a ...
professor who has made contributions to modern thermodynamics and developed his constructal law. He is J. A. Jones
Distinguished Professor of
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...
at
Duke University
Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
and author of the books ''Design in Nature'', ''The Physics of Life''
'', Freedom and Evolution''
and ''Time And Beauty''.
He is an Honorary Member
of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing edu ...
and was awarded the
Benjamin Franklin Medal and th
ASME Medal
Early life and education
Bejan was born in
Galaţi, a city on the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
in
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
.
His mother, Marioara Bejan (1914–1998), was a pharmacist.
His father, Dr. Anghel Bejan (1910–1976), was a veterinarian.
Bejan showed an early talent in drawing, and his parents enrolled him in art school. He also excelled in basketball, which earned him a position on the
Romanian national basketball team.
At age 19 Bejan won a scholarship to the United States and entered
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
.
In 1972 he was awarded BS and MS degrees as a member of the Honors Course in Mechanical Engineering.
He graduated in 1975 with a PhD from MIT a thesis titled "Improved thermal design of the cryogenic cooling system for a superconducting synchronous generator". His advisor was Joseph L. Smith Jr., a disciple of Prof. Joseph H. Keenan.
Career
From 1976 to 1978 Bejan was a
Miller research fellow in at the University of California Berkeley working with
Chang-Lin Tien
Chang-Lin Tien (; July 24, 1935 – October 29, 2002) was a Taiwanese-American academic, mechanical engineer, and university administrator. He was the seventh chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley (1990–1997), and in that cap ...
.
In 1978 he moved to Colorado and joined the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder. In 1982 Bejan published his first book, ''Entropy Generation Through Heat and Fluid Flow''. The book is aimed at practical applications of the
second law of thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics is a physical law based on Universal (metaphysics), universal empirical observation concerning heat and Energy transformation, energy interconversions. A simple statement of the law is that heat always flows spont ...
, and presented his ideas on
irreversibility
In thermodynamics, an irreversible process is a process that cannot be undone. All complex natural processes are irreversible, although a phase transition at the coexistence temperature (e.g. melting of ice cubes in water) is well approximated a ...
, availability and
exergy
Exergy, often referred to as "available energy" or "useful work potential", is a fundamental concept in the field of thermodynamics and engineering. It plays a crucial role in understanding and quantifying the quality of energy within a system and ...
analysis in a form for engineers.
In 1984 he published the first edition of ''Convection Heat Transfer. In an era when researchers did heat transfer calculations using numerical methods on supercomputers, the book emphasized new research methods such as intersection of asymptotes, heatlines, and scale analysis to solve problems.
Bejan was appointed
full professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...
at Duke University in 1984. In 1988 he published the first edition of his textbook ''Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics''. The book combined thermodynamics theory with engineering heat transfer and
fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids (liquids, gases, and plasma (physics), plasmas) and the forces on them.
Originally applied to water (hydromechanics), it found applications in a wide range of discipl ...
, and introduced entropy generation minimization as a method of optimization.
In 1996 the ASME awarded him the Worcester Reed Warner Medal for "originality, challenges to orthodoxy, and impact on thermodynamics and heat transfer, which were made through his first three books".
In 1989 Bejan was appointed the J. A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering. In 1988 and 1989, his peers named two dimensionless groups ''
Bejan number (Be),'' in two different fields: for the pressure difference group, in heat transfer by forced convection, and for the dimensionless ratio of fluid friction irreversibility divided by heat transfer irreversibility, in thermodynamics.
From 1992 to 1996 he published four more books, ''Convection in Porous Media'', ''Heat Transfer'', ''Thermal Design and Optimization'' and ''Entropy Generation Minimization''.
Constructal law
In 1995
while reviewing entropy generation minimization for a symposium paper and writing another paper on the cooling of electronic components, Bejan formulated the constructal law.
The constructal law is an organizing design principle by which natural phenomena as well as human designed systems will ''evolve'' in a way that facilitates the flow of energy and material passing through it.
[Bejan, A. (2016) Life and evolution as physics. Communicative & Integrative Biology, 9(3), e1172159] As an example, for electronic components too small for
convective cooling, they must be designed for efficient conduction. The 1995 paper provides a method for efficiently designing conductive paths, from smaller paths leading to larger ones. The similarity of the solution to the branching structures seen in multiple inanimate and living things led to his statement of what he calls a new law of nature: "For a finite-size system to persist in time (to live), it must evolve in such a way that it provides easier access to the imposed (global) currents that flow through it."
To emphasize the coming together of paths he called the theory ''constructal'' from the Latin verb "to construct", the opposite time direction of ''fractal'' from the Latin "to break".
Bejan incorporated his constructal law into the second edition of his textbook, ''Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics'' (1997).
He continued thermodynamics and its constructal law and implications.
In 2004, he published ''Porous and Complex Flow Structures in Modern Technologies''.
The same year, he and
Sylvie Lorente were awarded the Edward F. Obert Award by the ASME for their paper "Thermodynamic Formulation of the Constructal Law"
In 2008 he published ''Design with Constructal Theory''.
Awards for Constructal Law
In 2011 the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing edu ...
presented him with an honorary membership. He was cited for "an extraordinary record of creative work, including the unification of thermodynamics and heat transfer; the conceptual development of design as a science that unites all fields; legendary contributions to engineering education; and, since 1996, the discovery and continued development of the constructal law."
Bejan has also written books for the general audience. In 2012 he published ''Design in Nature: How the Constructal Law Governs Evolution in Biology, Technology, and Social Organization'' and in 2016 ''The Physics of Life: The Evolution of Everything''.
Bejan's books for the general audience continued with ''Freedom and Evolution, Hierarchy in Nature, Society and Science'' (2020),
and ''Time and Beauty, Why Time Flies and Beauty Never Dies'' (2022).
He credits these books for his award of the Ralph Coats Roe Medal from the ASME in 2017. He was cited for "permanent contributions to the public appreciation of the pivotal role of engineering in an advanced society through outstanding accomplishments as an engineering scientist and educator, renowned communicator and prolific writer".
In November 2017 the
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a science museum and a center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and wikt:statesman, statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin ...
of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
announced that Bejan would be awarded the 2018 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering. He was cited for "his pioneering interdisciplinary contributions in thermodynamics and convection heat transfer that have improved the performance of engineering systems, and for constructal theory, which predicts natural design and its evolution in engineering, scientific, and social systems."
On 27 June 2019, in Berlin, the Humboldt Foundation awarded Bejan the Humboldt Research Award for lifetime achievement. He was cited for "his pioneering contributions to modern thermodynamics and "Constructal Law" – a law of physics that predicts natural design and its evolution in biology, geophysics, climate change, technology, social organization, evolutionary design and development, wealth and sustainability".
On 30 December 2019, in Ankara, the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) awarded Bejan the TÜBA International Academy Prize in the category of Basic and Engineering Sciences "for his remarkable number of creative works such as combining thermodynamics and heat transfer in the field of thermodynamics, developing design as a science that brings together all fields, and putting forth "Constructal Theory".
On 20 February 2020, in Durham, the French government awarded Bejan the title of Knight of the French Order of Academic Palms.
On 18 July 2021, the International Association for Green Energy (IAGE) gave Bejan the IAGE Lifetime Achievement Award “For revolutionary contributions to thermal sciences through entropy generation minimization and the original development of a new law in physics, the constructal law, for predicting natural design and its evolution as climate, social ecosystems, and sustainability.”
In September 2023, peers from many countries reviewed Bejan's scholarly legacy on the occasion of his 75th birthday.
In April 2024, Duke University honored Bejan for excellence in teaching and research.
On 26 August 2024, Adrian Bejan was named the 2024 recipient of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Medal.
The award, established in 1920, is the highest award that the Society can bestow and recognizes eminently distinguished engineering achievement. Bejan is honored for “unprecedented creativity, breadth, and permanent impact on engineering; for developments in the new science of energy, motion, form, and evolution; and for building bridges to design in biological, geophysical, and sociological systems. Bejan is credited with several groundbreaking developments. He unified thermodynamics with heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and the science of form (i.e., flow configuration, image, design), as a counterweight to the doctrine of reductionism; discovered, taught, and applied the Constructal Law of evolution in nature; and brought together biologists, physicists, engineers, sociologists, philosophers, economists, managers, and athletes with creative books for the public, including Design in Nature (2012), The Physics of Life (2016), Freedom and Evolution (2020), and Time and Beauty (2022). His influential work and prolific publication record have earned him 18 honorary doctorates from 11 countries. He holds a position among the top 0.01% of most-cited and impactful scientists, is the sixth most impactful scholar in mechanical engineering worldwide, and the 11th across all engineering disciplines, according to the citations impact database in PLOS Biology.”
At a public ceremony on 9 October 2024 in Bucharest, the Romanian Basketball Federation conferred upon Prof. Bejan the Title of Excellence: "For promoting the role of sport in achieving excellence in academia, and his remarkable contributions to combining science and sport, embodying in his career as physicist and basketball player an exceptional synergy between the laws of physics and the dynamics of sport. Through his innovative studies and the applicability of constructal theory in the field of movement, he opened new horizons for understanding and optimizing performance in sport in general, and in basketball in particular. The Romanian Basketball Federation recognizes his academic excellence and the impact he had on the evolution of basketball from a scientific and educational perspective."
Selected awards and honors
Bejan has received multiple awards and honorary degrees.
* Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), elected October 1987
* Max Jakob Memorial Award (ASME and AIChE), 1999
* Ralph Coats Roe Award,
American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), 2000
* Honorary Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2011
* Member of the Academy of Europe, elected 2013
*Member of the national academies of Mexico, Turkey, Romania and Moldova.
* Ralph Coats Roe Medal, ASME, 2017
*
Benjamin Franklin Medal, Franklin Institute, 2018
*Humboldt Research Award, Humboldt Foundation, 2019.
*
Turkish Academy of Sciences
The Turkish Academy of Sciences ( – TÜBA) is an autonomous scholarly association aimed at promoting scientific activities in Turkey. Although it is attached to the office of the Presidency and is largely funded by the government, it maintains f ...
Prize (2019)
* Lifetime Achievement Award, IAGE (2021)
* Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lectureship Award (2023)
* Nautilus Book Award, Silver Award for ''Time and Beauty'' (2023)
* Highly Ranked Scholar and 3rd in the world for Mechanical Engineering, ScholarGPS
* ASME Medal
Selected publications
;Articles
*
*
* Bejan, Adrian "Entropy Generation Minimization: The New Thermodynamics of Finite-Size Devices and Finite-Time Processes," Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 79, 1 February 1996, pp. 1191–1218.
*
*
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* A. Bejan, U. Gunes and B. Sahin
University Rankings: Quality, Size and Permanence ''European Review'', Vol. 28, 2020, pp. 537-558
doi: 10.1017/S106279872000006X* A. Bejan
Perfection is the enemy of evolution ''BioSystems'', Vol. 229, 2023, 104917
doi: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.104917* A. Bejan
The principle underlying all evolution, biological, geophysical, social and technological ''Philosophical'' ''Transactions A'', Vol. 381, 2023, 20220288
doi: 10.1098/rsta.2022.0288* A. Bejan, Vascular flow design and predicting evolution, ''International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer'', Vol. 155, 2024, 107517
doi: 10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2024.107517* A. Bejan, H. Almahmoud, U. Gunes, H.E. Fakhari and P. Mardanpour
Evolution and irreversibility: Two distinct phenomena and their distinct laws of nature ''Physics of Life Reviews'', Vol. 50, 2024, pp.103-116
doi: 10.1016/j.plrev.2024.06.014* A. Bejan
The Physics of the Urge to Have Freedom ''BioSystems,'' Vol. 243, 2024, 105277
doi: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2024.105277* A. Bejan
Energy store & release facilitating movement in stick & slip friction, animal jump, and earthquake ''Scientific Reports'', Vol. 14, 2024, 18832
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-68525-1;Books
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* , updated in 1995, 2004, and 2013:
* , updated in 1997, 2006, and 2016:
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*
* , updated in 1999, 2006, 2017:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*Bejan, Adrian (2020). ''Freedom and Evolution: Hierarchy in Nature, Society and Science''. New York: Springer. .
*Bejan, Adrian (2022). ''Time And Beauty: Why Time Flies And Beauty Never Dies.'' World Scientific. .
*Bejan, Adrian (2022). ''Heat Transfer: Evolution, Design and Performance.'' Wiley. .
References
External links
Faculty web page*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bejan, Adrian
1948 births
Living people
MIT School of Engineering alumni
Duke University faculty
People from Galați
Romanian emigrants to the United States
Romanian engineers
Fluid dynamicists
Thermodynamicists
American mechanical engineers
Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute) laureates