Rate My Professor Stuart Cooper

Stuart Cooper is a prominent chemical engineer and biomaterials expert affiliated with North Carolina State University as Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the joint NC State/UNC-Chapel Hill program since 2007, having previously served as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor of Chemical Engineering from 2001 to 2003. He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963 and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University in 1967. Cooper's distinguished career in Engineering includes positions at leading institutions: starting as Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1967-1971), advancing to Professor (1974-1992) and Department Chair (1983-1989); Dean and H. Rodney Sharp Professor of the College of Engineering at the University of Delaware (1993-1998); Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Illinois Institute of Technology (1998-2001); and currently Distinguished University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Engineering in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The Ohio State University since 2004, where he chaired the department from 2004 to 2014. His leadership roles underscore his impact on academic administration and Engineering education.

Cooper's research focuses on polymer physics, block polymers, ionomers, polyurethanes, and biomaterials, pioneering fundamental understanding of phase separation in block polymers essential for high-performance thermoplastic elastomers like polyurethanes and advancing biomedical polyurethanes through chemical and physical characterization, enhancing blood compatibility and biocompatibility by integrating chemical engineering with biomedical engineering. He authored two major books on polyurethane biomaterials and co-edited Advances in Polyurethane Biomaterials. His contributions have profoundly influenced the field, earning him election to the National Academy of Engineering (2011), the AIChE Founders Award (2014), Society for Biomaterials Founders Award (2010), ACS Rubber Division Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award (2013), Clemson Award for Basic Research (1987), and presidency of the Society for Biomaterials (1996-1997). Cooper has served on editorial boards for journals including Biomaterials and J. Biomedical Materials Research, and as founding co-editor of Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition since 1988. Additional honors include Sigma Xi presidency (2017-2019) and Chair of AIMBE College of Fellows (2024).