Biographical Sketch

George W. Scherer was born in 1949 in Teaneck, New Jersey. In 1971, he married Martha Ann (Marty). George received his BS and MS degrees in 1972 and his PhD in materials science in 1974, all from MIT, where his thesis work was on crystal growth in glass. From 1974 to 1985, he was at Corning Glass Works, where his research included optical fiber fabrication, viscous sintering, and viscoelastic stress analysis. The latter work was the subject of his first book, Relaxation in Glass and Composites (Wiley, 1986). From 1985 through 1995, he was a member of the Central Research Department of the DuPont Company, where his work dealt principally with sol-gel processing, and especially with drying. In collaboration with Jeff Brinker of Sandia National Labs, he wrote a book entitled Sol-Gel Science (Academic Press, 1990).

He is a fellow of the American Ceramic Society and a member of the Materials Research Society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Concrete Institute, and RILEM. In 1997 he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

In February, 1996, he became a full professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Princeton University, and a member of the Princeton Materials Institute (now, PRISM). His research involves mechanisms of deterioration of concrete and stone, particularly by crystallization of ice and salts in the pores.

Teaching Awards

Engineering Council Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2001 and 2003

School of Eng. & Applied Science Distinguished Teacher Award, 2002

Professional Honors & Awards

1985    G. W. Morey Award, Glass Division of American Ceramic Society

1986    Woldemar Weyl Award, International Congress on Glass 

1986    Ross Coffin Purdy Award, American Ceramic Society 

1987    Elected Fellow of American Ceramic Society

1987    W.H. Zachariasen Award, Editorial Board, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids

1990    Fulrath Pacific Award, Univ. California at Berkeley and American Ceramic Society

1992    Best Paper in Drying in 1990-1991 [for Theory of Drying, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 73 [1] (1990) 3-14)],

            presented at Int. Drying Symposium

1994    Robert Sosman Award, American Ceramic Society

1995    Ralph K. Iler Award, American Chemical Society

1997    Elected to the National Academy of Engineering

2001    Brunauer Award presented by Cements Division, American Ceramic Society

2002    Brunauer Award presented by Cements Division, American Ceramic Society

2003    Cohen Memorial Distinguished Lectures Series, Northwestern University

2005    Awarded the William L. Knapp ’47 Chair Civil Engineering

2006ISI Highly Cited Author (A0378-2006-C)

2007Rosenquist Lecturer, Univ. Oslo, Norway

2007Brunauer Award presented by Cements Division, Am. Ceram. Soc.

2008Della Roy Lecture presented by Cements Division, Am. Ceram. Soc.

Visiting Scientist/Professor

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fall, 1983

Université de Montpellier II, France, Spring 1989

Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France, 4-9/93

Université de Dijon, France, Spring, 2000

École Polytech. Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, 7-9/03