Degrees / Education

• PhD, Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1994
• BS, Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester, 1989

Research Interests

Academic Distinctions

• L.E. Scriven Young Investigator Award at the 13th International Coating Science and Technology Symposium, 2006.
• Carl Dahlquist Award for Best Paper at the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council Tech XXV Meeting, 2002.
• 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, 1996, 1998, & 1999.
• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) 1996.
• U.S. Department of Energy Defense Programs Young Scientist and Engineer Award, 1996.
• U.S. Department of Energy Basic Engineering Sciences Award for Sustained Outstanding Research in Metallurgy and Ceramics, 1995.
• Marcel Dekker, Inc. Best Paper Award (Drying Technology: An International Journal), 1994.

Select Publications

• ‘Identification of Sulfur‐Containing Impurities in Biodiesel Produced From Brown Grease’, Michael Hughes, Kerby C Jones, Megan E Hums, Richard A Cairncross, Victor T Wyatt, Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society, (2018) 95(4) 407-420. DOI: 10.1002/aocs.12048
• ‘Longitudinal Study of Wastewater Greases and Their Potential for the Production of Biofuels’, Megan E Hums, Hiral Amin, Ya-Chi Tsao, Mira S Olson, Sabrina Spatari, Richard A Cairncross, Energy & Fuels, (2018) 32(2) 1831-1842. DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b03550
• ‘Life Cycle Assessment of Biodiesel Produced from Grease Trap Waste’, Megan E. Hums, Richard A. Cairncross, & Sabrina Spatari, Environmental Science and Technology, (2016)50(5), 2718-2726. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b02667
• ‘Reaction Model Describing Antioxidant Depletion in Polyethylene-Clay Nanocomposites Under Thermal Aging,’ I. Ahmad, C.Y. Li, G. Hsuan, R.A. Cairncross, Polymer Degradation and Stability, (2014) 110, 318-335.
• ‘Nanofiber Cathode Catalyst Layer Model for a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell,’ D. Dever, R.A. Cairncross, Y.A. Elabd, Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology, (2014) 11 (August).
• ‘Esterification of Free Fatty Acids to Fatty Acid Alkyl Esters in a Bubble Column Reactor for Use as Biodiesel,’ C.J. Stacy, C.A. Melick, and R.A. Cairncross, Fuel Processing Technology (2014) 124, 70-77. DOI: 10.1016/j.fuproc.2014.02.003
• ‘Water Transport in Polylactide and Polylactide/Montmorillonite Composites,’A. Du, G. Gelves, U. Sundararaj, R.A. Cairncross, Journal of Polymers and the Environment, (2012) 21(11) 8-15.
• ‘Synthesis and Water Sorption of Standard and End-capped Polylactides: the Effect of Morphology,’ D. Koo, A. Du, G.R. Palmese & R.A. Cairncross Polymer Chemistry (2012) 3(3) 718-726.