Dr. Shivaji Sircar, University Distinguished Scholar in the Departmental of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lehigh University, known internationally for his pioneering and seminal work in the area of adsorption science, passed away on February 13, 2020 at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Bethlehem, PA, surrounded by family and friends. He was 75 years old and is survived by his wife Mrs. Shukla Sircar, son Dr. Sanjoy Sircar and a grand-daughter.
Dr. Sircar received his B.S. in chemical engineering from Jadavpur University, India in 1964, an M.S. and Ph.D., both in chemical engineering, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968 and 1970 respectively, working with Prof. Alan Myers, where he was also a postdoctoral scholar before joining Air Products and Chemicals Inc., in Trexlertown, PA.
Dr. Sircar was appointed in various positions in our department since 2003 as a Visiting Professor, Adjunct Professor, Research Professor and most recently as University Distinguished Scholar. Prior to joining Lehigh, he spent 29 years of his career at Air Products and Chemicals Inc. He was widely regarded internationally as a leader in the field of adsorption, with over 60 US patents and over 70 international patents and more than 160 journal publications to his credit. Several of his inventions at Air Products were developed into commercial processes that established Air Products as a leader in the field of gas separation via adsorption.
Of the many awards that he received, some notable ones include: Professional Progress Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1988 and the Excellence in Industrial Gases Technology Award from AIChE in 2001. He was elected to membership of the US National Academy of Engineering in 2004.
During his time at Lehigh, Dr. Sircar collaborated with numerous faculty within our department as well as in other departments on various federally funded projects from DOE, NSF, NIH and also industrially funded projects.
Condolence e-mails can be sent to Dr. Sanjoy Sircar at sircar.sanjoy@gmail.com
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