David Glasser
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David Glasser (born 29 September 1936) is a South African engineer best known for his co-development of attainable region theory and research into improving the efficiency of chemical processes. In 2001 he was the inaugural recipient of the
Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award The Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award is awarded annually by the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust. It is considered the top award for research on the African continent. In Memory of Harry Oppenheimer The Award was created in 2001, in South Africa, by ...
. He has also been awarded the Bill-Neale May Gold Medal by the South African Institute of Chemical Engineers, as well as the Science for Society Gold Medal from the
Academy of Science of South Africa The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) is the national science academy in South Africa. It was started in 1996, and encompasses all fields of scientific work. Its legal foundation is the ''Academy of Science of South Africa Act'', Act ...
. He currently works as Professor Extraordinarius of the
University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...
(UNISA) and resides in Australia.


Biography

Glasser was born in
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. He attended St Andrews School in
Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...
and Grey High School in
Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...
. He obtained a B.Eng (chemical) from the
University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...
in 1958 and a PhD from
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...
in London in 1964. He returned to South Africa and joined the
University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...
(WITS) as a lecturer later in 1964. His research work at WITS encompassed kinetics, thermodynamics, modelling and optimisation. In conjunction with Diane Hildebrandt and Martin Feinberg, he developed a new method for optimising chemical reactors called attainable region theory. It has been applied to many fields including biomedical research in the interpretation of imaging experiments, the removal of
heparin Heparin, also known as unfractionated heparin (UFH), is a medication and naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan. Heparin is a blood anticoagulant that increases the activity of antithrombin. It is used in the treatment of myocardial infarction, ...
from blood and the development of an artificial liver. He also did research in the field of process synthesis, where carbon dioxide emissions could be minimised and raw materials efficiently used through the re-designing of chemical plant flow-sheets based on fundamental thermodynamic processes. Glasser has published more than 300 publications, in peer-reviewed publications including the AIChE Journal, Chemical Engineering Science, Industrial and Engineering Research, as well as 4 books. He served as editor and reviewer for many journals over the period 1998 - 2003. He was Editor-in-Chief of the book Series on Chemical Engineering and Technology, published by Kluwer Academic Publishers of the Netherlands. In 2011 he coauthored the book ''Membrane Process Design Using Residue Curve Maps''. He holds four patents, including patents for improving chemical plant efficiency, improving carbon efficiencies in hydrocarbon production and the production of synthesis gas. Although he retired in 2004, he continued to supervise research students, develop and teach post-graduate courses, oversaw research contracts, and continued to publish academic papers. He mentored more than 50 MSc students and 52 PhD students during his time at WITS. In 2015, Glasser relocated to Australia to live with his grandchildren. He continues to work as Professor Extraordinarius of
UNISA The University of South Australia is a Public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1991, it is the successor of the former South Australian Institute of Technology. Its main campuses along ...
(a "rare, non-tenured position for scholars who have achieved academic excellence and are recognised as global leaders in their fields.") In 2016 he co-authored ''Attainable Region Theory: An introduction to choosing an optimal reactor (Wiley USA 2016)''.


Transformation

Glasser's period as Dean at WITS coincided with a period of political change in South Africa. He was pivotal in developing promising young students from disadvantaged backgrounds with the intention of increasing numbers and success rates. The
Anglo-American Anglo-American can refer to: * the Anglosphere (the Anglo-American world) * Anglo-American, something of, from, or related to Anglo-America ** the Anglo-Americans demographic group in Anglo-America * Anglo American plc Anglo American plc is a ...
cadet scheme, a year-long programme for young black engineering students prior to university entrance which prepared them to excel at university, was taken over by the engineering department of WITS under Glasser.


Awards, recognition, memberships

* Fellow of the
Royal Society of South Africa The Royal Society of South Africa is a learned society composed of eminent South African scientists and academics. The society was granted its royal charter by King Edward VII in 1908, nearly a century after Capetonians first began to conceive of ...
(1997) * Associate Editor of the Chemical Engineering Journal (1980-2002) * Editor of the Kluwer international book series on chemical engineering (1988-2003) * Bill Neale-May Gold Medal from the South African Institution of Chemical Engineering (2000) * Inaugural Harry Oppenheimer Memorial Gold Medal (2001) * Science-for-Society Gold Medal from the
Academy of Science of South Africa The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) is the national science academy in South Africa. It was started in 1996, and encompasses all fields of scientific work. Its legal foundation is the ''Academy of Science of South Africa Act'', Act ...
(2006) * “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the National Science and Technology Forum (2012) * Fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering * President of the South African Institute of Chemical Engineering * Founder and director of the Centre of Material and Process Synthesis at WITS * Fellow of the South African Institute of Chemical Engineering * Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Wits University (1986-1989) * Elected Senate Member on the Council of the University of the Witwatersrand in 1987 * Visiting professor at
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
, USA * Visiting professor at the
University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...
, USA * Visiting professor at the
University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...
, Canada * Hooker Distinguished Visiting Professor at
McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...
, Canada *
Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the peopl ...
at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, USA * Visiting scholar at the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
, Australia * Four consecutive A1 ratings from the National Research Foundation


References


External links

*
South African Institution of Chemical Engineering website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glasser, David Living people 1936 births 21st-century South African engineers 20th-century South African engineers Academic staff of the University of the Witwatersrand South African emigrants to Australia Academic staff of the University of South Africa Fellows of the Royal Society of South Africa