Dr. Albert Chao-Jun Luo, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering, recently was named the 2014 recipient of the Distinguished Research Professor Award.
The award is an academic rank rewarding faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding and sustained contributions to research and creative activities. Luo will be recognized with the rank of SIUE Distinguished Research Professor for the duration of his tenure at SIUE.
“Luo’s dedication to the advancement of his field shows a tireless motivation to achieve excellence,” said Dr. Jerry Weinberg, associate provost for research and dean of the Graduate School.
Luo has achieved international recognition in the field of nonlinear dynamics with his theory of flow barrier vector fields. His colleagues have credited him with developing methods of calculating chaotic motion, as well as pioneering theories of dynamic physical changes that were previously unexplained.
In his own production, Luo’s work in nonlinear dynamics has been published approximately 125 times in refereed journals. He has also published 12 research monographs and more than 30 pieces in proceedings, special issues, chapters and edited books. External sponsors such as the National Science Foundation and local industrial partner Amsted Rail have funded his work.
Luo currently serves as an editor for four prominent journals in his field, as well as a book series. He also serves on editorial boards and various technical committees. This is not to mention the professional symposiums, tracks and conferences he has organized and chaired, which currently number over forty.
As a School of Engineering colleague noted, “His wide range of activities has made our mechanical engineering program better known externally, and has promoted the image of SIUE at the national and international level.”
In the midst of his achievements, Luo has not neglected his students. Colleagues testify that Luo instills in his students a confidence, motivation and respect for learning to match his own deep respect for education.