David West has 45 years of research experience in the chemical industry, first with Dow and later SABIC. His work is described in numerous publications and patents. He is an adjunct professor in the Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, U. of Houston; a Fellow of the AIChE, member of the National Academy of Engineering; Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science, and Technology. David has a BS degree in Chemistry from Florida State University. He was recognized with the AIChE Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division Practice Award, the Southwest Catalysis Society Award for Excellence in Applied Catalysis, and F. G. Ciapetta Lectureship in Catalysis (given by the North American Catalysis Society). His interests include catalysis and reaction engineering, fluid mechanics, transport phenomena, novel material development, and nonlinear dynamics. For a time, he was an editor of the Elsevier book series Advances in Chemical Engineering.