This interview is with Ian Kennedy, Professor of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Emeritus. He was hired in 1986 and retired in 2016. He taught undergraduate and graduate courses in fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer. His research interests involved turbulent combustion and the emission of ultrafine particles, which led to an interest in the human health effects of ambient aerosols and a long collaboration with colleagues in environmental toxicology. He also collaborated with colleagues in Material Science to develop novel nanoparticles for use in advanced biosensors. In the late 1990s he served as an Associate Dean for Academic Personnel and Planning in the College of Engineering. In the 1990’s and early 2000’s he served on the Board of the Davis Faculty Association and was the Chair of the Association during much of that period. After retirement, he founded a start-up company, SonanuTech, that developed biosensors and technologies for the biotech industry.
He is interviewed by his friend and colleague, Rida Farouki, Professor of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering.
