Photo of Derek Dunn-Rankin holding Oppenheim Prize
Derek Dunn-Rankin

Derek Dunn-Rankin has been awarded the Oppenheim Prize by the Institute for Dynamics of Explosions & Reactive Systems. The prize honors brilliant contributions to the theoretical or interpretative aspects of combustion dynamics. “I am honored, particularly because Professor A.K. Oppenheim, for whom the award is named, was something of a mentor to me from my days at UC Berkeley,” said Dunn-Rankin, chair of UC Irvine’s Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. He’s well known for experimental explorations of novel combustion problems and for the resulting contributions to resolution of critical open scientific questions and clarifications of the dominant physical processes in various unusual combustion circumstances. Dunn-Rankin received the award at the 24th International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions & Reactive Systems in Taipei, Taiwan. This is the second time the Oppenheim Prize has gone to a UC Irvine engineer; William Sirignano, the Henry Samueli Endowed Chair in Engineering, won it in 1993. For more information, click here.