John H. Lienhard V

John H. Lienhard V
Lienhard in February 2016
Born
John Henry Lienhard V

1961 (age 64–65)
Pullman, Washington, U.S.
Education
Known fordesalination, free online textbook
FatherJohn H. Lienhard IV
Awards
Scientific career
Fieldsdesalination, heat transfer, thermodynamics
WorkplacesMassachusetts Institute of Technology
ThesisThe decay of turbulence in thermally stratified flow (1988)
Charles W. Van Atta
Websitelienhard.mit.edu

John Henry Lienhard V (born 1961) is an American mechanical engineer. He is the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Water and Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research has focused on desalination, heat transfer, and thermodynamics. He has also written several engineering textbooks.

Early life and education

Lienhard was born in 1961 in Pullman, Washington, where his father, John H. Lienhard IV, was a professor at Washington State University. His mother, Carol Ann Bratton, a violinist, was a member of the Washington State University String Quartet.[1] The family moved to Lexington, Kentucky in 1967 when his father took a position at the University of Kentucky. Lienhard attended elementary school and high school in Lexington.[2]

Lienhard enrolled at the University of Kentucky when he was 16.[2] He completed his bachelor's degree in engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1982 and his master's degree in heat and mass transfer at UCLA in 1984 for research on Rayleigh–Bénard instability.[2][3] He then transferred to the University of California, San Diego,[2] where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on wind tunnel measurements of strongly stratified turbulent flow, finishing in 1988.[4] Lienhard's doctoral experiments encompassed Brunt–Väisälä frequencies up to 2.4 s−1 and required the development of hot-wire anemometry usable in the presence of large temperature fluctuations.[4]

Career

Lienhard joined the mechanical engineering faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988,[5] and he remained on the faculty until his retirement in 2025.[6]

Lienhard's initial research at MIT focused on cooling by liquid jet impingement. This work included fundamental convection problems, droplet splattering, free-surface turbulence interactions, and pattern formation in the hydraulic jump.[7][8][9] The thin boundary layer at a jet's stagnation point also provided a means of high-heat-flux engineering. In 1993, Lienhard's group reported a steady-state heat flux of ≈40 kW/cm2 under a high-speed water jet.[10] They later extended this approach to arrays of jets, allowing larger areas to be cooled at high flux. In 1998, they used an array of water jets at 46 m/s to remove 1.7 kW/cm2 by convection alone over areas of several cm2.[11]

In the 2000s, Lienhard refocused his research on water scarcity and clean water supply, particularly on desalination technologies. He later wrote that he made this shift after reading about worldwide water scarcity and realizing that his background in transport phenomena could be applied to water purification.[12] His group's desalination research has included topics such as energy efficiency,[13][14] forward and reverse osmosis,[15][16] nanofiltration,[17] brine management,[18][19] membrane distillation,[20] humidification-dehumidification,[21] and electrodialysis.[22] The seawater thermophysical property correlations developed by his group have been widely cited by other researchers.[23][24]

Lienhard has written hundreds of peer-reviewed research publications and has been issued more than 40 US patents.[25] The patents have supported start-up companies from Lienhard's research group, one of which, Gradiant Corporation,[26] grew to more than $1 billion valuation in 2023.[27]

Lienhard helped launch several large-scale research programs at MIT. He was the founding director of the Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy (2008–2017), a research collaboration with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) involving four dozen faculty members at KFUPM and MIT.[28] He was also the founding director of the Ibn Khaldun Fellowship program for Saudi Arabian Women,[29] which each year brings several women to MIT for postdoctoral research collaborations.[30]

In 2014, Lienhard founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS), and he served as J-WAFS director until 2025.[25][31] J-WAFS supports research by MIT faculty on water and food to address the needs of a rapidly growing population on a changing planet. Under Lienhard's leadership, J-WAFS funded more than 100 research and commercialization projects distributed across MIT's schools.[25]

Lienhard has co-authored three textbooks, Mechanical Measurements (with T. G. Beckwith and R. D. Maragoni), Modeling and Approximation in Heat Transfer (with L. R. Glicksman), and A Heat Transfer Textbook (with his father, John H. Lienhard IV).[32][33][34] He and his father have collaborated on the heat transfer book for decades. In 2001, they made the decision to distribute the work primarily as a free ebook, which has since been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times across the world, according to interviews with Lienhard.[2][35] Lienhard has also received awards for his teaching[5] and been recognized for his mentorship of graduate students.[6][36]

Awards and honors

Lienhard was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2026 for “advances and technological innovations in desalination”.[37] He also received the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Desalination and Reuse Association.[38]

ASME made Lienhard an Honorary Member in 2025 for “sustained contributions to thermodynamic and transport process engineering through modeling, experimentation, design, and patents; for a pioneering, open-access textbook; and for leadership in sustainability research in academia”.[39] In 2012, ASME awarded him the Technical Communities Globalization Medal for “fostering global research collaboration and technology transfer in clean water and clean energy technologies, and for international educational outreach through open-access, online distribution of educational materials, especially in developing countries.”[40]

His other awards include the Donald Q. Kern Award of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for process engineering (2022), the ASME Edward F. Obert Award in thermodynamics (2019), and the ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award (2015).[41][42][43]

Lienhard is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2000), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2018), and the American Society of Thermal and Fluid Engineers (2021).[44][45][46]

References

  1. ↑ "Carol Ann Lienhard". Bradshaw-Carter Funeral Services. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kronzek, Rochelle (21 September 2011). "Author Interview: John Lienhard". Dover Publications. Dover Publications. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  3. ↑ Lienhard, John H., 5th (March 1984). Thermal instability and heat transfer in a singly partitioned horizontal fluid layer (MSc thesis). University of California, Los Angeles. OCLC 12611345.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 Lienhard, John H., V (January 1988). The decay of turbulence in thermally stratified flow (PhD dissertation). University of California, San Diego. OCLC 17853349.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 "Awards and honors". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2 November 1994. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Celebrating a legacy of impact: The career of Professor John H. Lienhard V". IDRA Global Connections: 36–39. Summer 2025.
  7. ↑ Liu, Xin; Lienhard, John H., V; Lombara, James S. (August 1991). "Convective Heat Transfer by Impingement of Circular Liquid Jets". Journal of Heat Transfer. 113 (3): 571–582. Bibcode:1991ATJHT.113..571L. doi:10.1115/1.2910604.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ Liu, Xin; Lienhard, John H., V (July 1993). "The hydraulic jump in circular jet impingement and in other thin liquid films". Experiments in Fluids. 15 (2): 108–116. Bibcode:1993ExFl...15..108L. doi:10.1007/BF00190950. S2CID 23579826.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Bhunia, Sourav K.; Lienhard, John H., V (1 December 1994). "Surface Disturbance Evolution and the Splattering of Turbulent Liquid Jets". Journal of Fluids Engineering. 116 (4): 721–727. doi:10.1115/1.2911841.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Liu, Xin; Lienhard, John H., V (May 1993). "Extremely High Heat Fluxes Beneath Impinging Liquid Jets". Journal of Heat Transfer. 115 (2): 472–476. Bibcode:1993ATJHT.115..472L. doi:10.1115/1.2910703.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Oh, Chang H.; Lienhard, John H., V; Younis, Hesham F.; Dahbura, Rudy S.; Michels, Dirk (April 1998). "Liquid Jet-Array Cooling Modules for High Heat Fluxes". AIChE Journal. 44 (4): 769–779. Bibcode:1998AIChE..44..769O. doi:10.1002/aic.690440402. hdl:1721.1/161625.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Lienhard, John H., V (22 May 2025). "J-WAFS: From an Idea to a Program". MIT Faculty Newsletter. Retrieved 13 April 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ "New numbers reopen desal technology war". Global Water Intelligence: 48–49. June 2019.
  14. ↑ Plappally, Anand K.; Lienhard, John H., V (September 2012). "Energy Requirements for Water Production, Treatment, End Use, Reclamation, and Discharge". Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 16 (7): 4818–4848. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2012.05.022.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ Akst, Daniel (29 August 2014). "A New Kind of Power from Salt Water". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  16. ↑ McGovern, R. K.; Lienhard, J. H., V (November 2014). "On the potential of forward osmosis to energetically outperform reverse osmosis desalination". Journal of Membrane Science. 469: 245–250. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2014.05.061. hdl:1721.1/102494.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ Imeson, Nicole (24 April 2025). "Optimized Recycling in Aluminum Production". ASME. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  18. ↑ "No Waste Desalination". Mechanical Engineering: 17. May 2019.
  19. ↑ Thiel, Gregory P.; Tow, Emily W.; Banchik, Leonardo D.; Chung, Hyung Won; Lienhard, John H., V (15 June 2015). "Energy consumption in desalinating produced water from shale oil and gas extraction". Desalination. 366: 94–112. Bibcode:2015Desal.366...94T. doi:10.1016/j.desal.2014.12.038. hdl:1721.1/101978.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ Warsinger, David E. M.; Swaminathan, Jaichander; Guillem, Elena; Arafat, Hassan A.; Lienhard, John H., V (15 January 2015). "Scaling and Fouling In Membrane Distillation for Desalination Applications: A Review". Desalination. 356: 294–313. Bibcode:2015Desal.356..294W. doi:10.1016/j.desal.2014.06.031. hdl:1721.1/102497.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ↑ Narayan, Prakash Govindan; Sharqawy, Mostafa H.; Summers, Edward K.; Lienhard, John H., V; Zubair, Syed M.; Antar, Mohamed A. (May 2010). "The potential of solar-driven humidification-dehumidification desalination for small-scale decentralized water production". Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 14 (4): 1187–1201. Bibcode:2010RSERv..14.1187N. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2009.11.014. hdl:1721.1/52624. S2CID 15976074.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ McGovern, R. K.; Weiner, A. M.; Chambers, C. G.; Zubair, S. M.; Lienhard, J. H. (2014). "On the cost of electrodialysis for the desalination of high salinity feeds". Applied Energy. 136: 649–661. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.09.050. hdl:1721.1/105367.
  23. ↑ Sharqawy, Mostafa H.; Lienhard, John H., V; Zubair, Syed M. (April 2010). "The thermophysical properties of seawater: A review of existing correlations and data". Desalination and Water Treatment. 16 (1–3): 354–380. Bibcode:2010DWatT..16..354S. doi:10.5004/dwt.2010.1079. hdl:1721.1/69157. S2CID 93362418.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ↑ Nayar, Kishor G.; Sharqawy, Mostafa H.; Banchik, Leonardo D.; Lienhard, John H., V (15 July 2016). "Thermophysical properties of seawater: A review and new correlations that include pressure dependence". Desalination. 390: 1–24. doi:10.1016/j.desal.2016.02.024. hdl:1721.1/106794.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. 1 2 3 Pinter, Carolyn Blais (28 February 2025). "Rohit Karnik named director of J-WAFS". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  26. ↑ Matheson, Rob (15 July 2015). "Toward cheaper water treatment". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  27. ↑ Feldman, Amy. "Startup Gradiant Reaches Billion-Dollar Valuation Cleaning Up Wastewater For TSMC, Coca-Cola And Pfizer". Forbes. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  28. ↑ "MIT, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in collaboration". news.mit.edu. 25 November 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2020. Two schools launch program on clean water, clean energy
  29. ↑ Mallinson, Alissa (10 February 2014). "Supporting Saudi Arabian female scientists and engineers". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  30. ↑ O’Leary, Mary Beth (5 August 2018). "Meet the women shaping science and engineering in Saudi Arabia". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  31. ↑ "MIT alumnus Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel gives major gift to solve urgent challenges in world food and water security". news.mit.edu. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  32. ↑ Beckwith, Thomas G.; Marangoni, Roy D.; Lienhard, John H., V (2007). Mechanical Measurements (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 9780201847659. LCCN 2007272670.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ↑ Glicksman, Leon R.; Lienhard, John H., V (2016). Modeling and approximation in heat transfer. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511997907. ISBN 9781107012172. LCCN 2015032009.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ↑ Lienhard, John H., IV; Lienhard, John H., V (2019). A Heat Transfer Textbook (5th ed.). Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. ISBN 9780486837352. LCCN 2019029676.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  35. ↑ Finnie Duranceau, Ellen (25 February 2008). "New Podcast: Professor Lienhard on his Open Access Textbook". MIT Libraries News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  36. ↑ "In it together: Faculty mentors and graduate students". news.mit.edu. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  37. ↑ "Professor John Henry Lienhard V". National Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  38. ↑ "Lifetime Achievement Award". IDRA Global Connections. International Desalination and Reuse Association: 47. Spring 2025.
  39. ↑ "Special Insert – ASME Honors & Awards 2025" (PDF). Mechanical Engineering: 16. November 2025.
  40. ↑ "Celebrating Engineering 2012 ASME Honors" (PDF). Mechanical Engineering. Vol. 134, no. 11. New York: American Society of Mechanical Engineers. November 2012. pp. 54–55. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  41. ↑ "Donald Q. Kern Award". www.aiche.org. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  42. ↑ "Edward F. Obert Award". www.asme.org. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  43. ↑ "Heat Transfer Memorial Award". www.asme.org. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  44. ↑ "List of All ASME Fellows" (PDF). www.asme.org. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  45. ↑ "AAAS Current Fellows List". www.aaas.org. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  46. ↑ "American Society of Thermal and Fluid Engineers Fellowship". www.astfe.org. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
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