Dunn-Rankin Named a Fellow of The Combustion Institute
May 28, 2025 - Derek Dunn-Rankin, UC Irvine professor emeritus in mechanical and aerospace engineering, has been named a fellow of The Combustion Institute for his “valuable contributions in combustion science and technology and for enthusiastically encouraging the expansion of the field.”
The Combustion Institute is an international, nonprofit scientific society that promotes research activities and publishes two scientific journals, Combustion and Flame and the Proceedings of The Combustion Institute.
Dunn-Rankin studies combustion, sprays and particles using optical diagnostics and laser spectroscopy. He served as a UCI professor for 35 years before retiring in 2020. Some of his innovative research pursuits included a study of the electrical aspects of microgravity combustion; the development of novel optical techniques to measure the size of airborne droplets and particles; and experiments associated with gas hydrates and deep ocean power science. His work is being continued by colleagues at UCI.
Dunn-Rankin was given the lifetime honorific title of fellow by his peers. Philippe Dagaut, past president of The Combustion Institute, nominated Dunn-Rankin, citing his more than 300 published papers and presentations in diagnostics, experimental combustion, aerosols and fluid mechanics.
University of Michigan mechanical engineering professor Margaret S. Wooldridge stated in her nomination letter that Dunn-Rankin “is an internationally recognized leader on the fundamental chemical physics of laminar flames, and his work has particularly led to new discoveries about the effects of ion transport in flame systems, combustion of novel and timely fuel systems such as methane hydrates and coal slurries, and the fundamental physics of tulip flames to name a few key examples of his contributions.”
Dunn-Rankin, one of 20 fellows named this year, said, “I am honored to be included among the fellows of this truly international organization dedicated to the myriad facets of combustion science."
– Cassandra Nava
