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William A. (Bill) Peters
Executive Director
Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
Room: NE47-411
Phone: 617.253.3433
Email: peters@mit.edu |
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BSc, McGill University (Honors Chemistry)
PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Physical Chemistry)
Post-doctoral, Yale University (Physical Chemistry)
Bill Peters is an experienced university research executive with significant research contributions in energy technology and nanotechnology. He has substantial accomplishments in the nucleation, development, integration, marketing to government and industrial sponsors, and management, of single- and multi-disciplinary university research programs. His research (over 90 technical publications) provides new scientific and engineering understanding in energy conversion, energy utilization, environmental management, and beneficial applications of nanotechnology. Since 2002 he has been a senior executive (COO equivalent) in the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, a major MIT research center. His current research interests are nanotechnology, sustainable energy technology and their synergisms. Examples are:
• Effects of tiny length scales on physical transport and chemical reactions, e.g., adjustment of latent heat transfer using nano-engineered materials - see Traum et
al. J. Heat Transfer, (2008);
• Scalable thermal and plasma-thermal process chemistries for clean fuels production, e.g., hydrogen and light liquids from biomass, coal, heavy oil - see Peters et
al., U.S. Patent 7,494,637 B2, (2009);
• Sustainable energy for commercial and defense applications - see Tester et
al., Sustainable Energy Choosing Among Options, MIT Press, (2005);
• Noise effects on integration, synchronization and stability in nano-scale and nano-enabled, closeable systems.
For over 25 years Dr. Peters held increasingly responsible
research and research management positions at MIT including
Associate Director for Fuels and Environmental Research in
the MIT Energy Laboratory. In 2002, MIT appointed Dr. Peters Executive
Director (Chief Operating Officer) of a brand new MIT Center, the Institute
for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN), an Army-funded UARC (University Affiliated
Research Center), now housed in a 40,000+ square feet facility. The ISN
mission is to dramatically advance Soldier protection and survivability
through fundamental research and technology transitioning (maturation).
The ISN engages about 50 faculty members from ten MIT academic departments,
plus approximately 80 graduate students, and 30 post-doctoral associates
in over 30 basic research projects. To enrich the research and facilitate
technology transfer, the ISN partners with small businesses
and major companies, and collaborates with the Army Science and Technology
community. A new (2008) program engaging Historically Black Colleges
and Universities and Minority Institutions further strengthens the ISN
research portfolio. Army funding of ISN basic (6.1) research is roughly
$100 million over ten years. There is considerable ISN co-investment
by MIT and industry.
As Executive Director, Dr. Peters is a member of the ISN senior leadership team responsible for tactical and strategic planning, formulation, integration and marketing of new research initiatives, technology transfer, and partnering with the Army and industry. He is responsible for assuring timely and efficient ISN operations that serve faculty, students, and post-docs, the Army and other research sponsors, and industrial partners. He implements MIT and ISN policies, recommendations of Army and MIT steering boards, and decisions of the Director. He oversees ISN centralized operations in Finance, Administration and Personnel; Outreach and Communications; Laboratory and High Performance Computing Facilities; an annual Engineering Design/Prototype Building Competition for Undergraduate Students; ISN Headquarters; ISN Professional Research Staff; and ISN liaison with the DoD UARC community and with the MIT offices of research contracting, corporate relations, human resources, intellectual property and technology licensing.
Dr. Peters’ professional service includes U.S. Government, academia and professional societies. His DoD contributions concentrate on technology assessment and forecasting, including participation in Future
Warfare 20XX. He co-chaired the Long-Range Options
and Systems/Operations Task Group of the Naval Studies Board Committee on
Shipboard Pollution Control, and served on the Panel
on Transform the Institutional Army at the 2000
AUSA Symposium on the Revolution in Military Logistics & Combat Service Support
Transformation. He has briefed the Research & Technology Panel of
the Defense Science Board Task Force on DoD Energy Strategy; the Naval
Research Advisory Committee: Lightening the Load – Summer Study 2007; the Air
Force Research Laboratory Workshop on Readiness and Performance Optimizing
the 21st Century Warfighter; the Air Force Research
Laboratory NanoScience and Technology Team; and numerous other civilian and uniformed military personnel.
Dr. Peters has authored or co-authored over 90 research publications including 6 U.S. Patents, primarily focused on:
• Conversion of biomass, coal, and natural gas to clean fuels and chemical
feedstocks by thermal processes or arc discharge plasmas;
• Environmental decontamination,
i.e., chemical weapons, industrial wastes, soils, water;
• Production of light
metals (magnesium, aluminum) by direct thermal reduction of oxide ores;
• Health
effects of combustion emissions.
He has supervised or co-supervised 15 doctoral theses and 7 MS theses in the MIT Departments of Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and has co-authored a major graduate level textbook on sustainable energy. His awards include recognition for a “chemical solidification” technology to convert natural gas to clean liquid fuels and chemical feedstocks.
Selected
Publications
Peters, W.A., J.B. Howard, A.J. Modestino, F. Vogel, C.R.
Steffin, “Thermal Conversion of Biomass to Valuable Fuels, Chemical Feedstocks
and Chemicals”, United States Patent No. 7,494,637 B2, 51 Claims, Feb.
24, (2009).
Traum, M.J., P. Griffith, E.L. Thomas, W.A. Peters, “Latent Heat
Fluxes Through Soft Materials With Microtruss Architectures”, American Society
of Mechanical Engineers Journal of Heat Transfer, 130, 042403-1 to 042403-11,
(2008).
Risoul, V., H. Richter, A.L.
Lafleur, E.F. Plummer, P. Gilot, J.B. Howard, W.A. Peters, “Effects of temperature
and soil components on emissions from pyrolysis of pyrene-contaminated soil”,
Journal of Hazardous Materials, B126, 128-140, (2005).
Tester, J.W., E.M. Drake,
M.J. Driscoll, M.W. Golay, W.A. Peters, Sustainable
Energy Choosing Among Options,
870 pages, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2005).
Vogel, F. K.A. Smith,
J.W. Tester, W.A. Peters, “Engineering Kinetics for Hydrothermal
Oxidation of Hazardous Organic Substances”, American Institute of Chemical
Engineers Journal, 48(8), 1827-1839, (2002).
Research Manuscripts In Preparation
Traum, M.J., E.L. Thomas, W.A. Peters, “Effects of Tiny Pore Diameters (39–5400 nm) on Transport Diffusivities for Water Vapor in 0.1MPa Air”, to be submitted to Nano Letters, October, (2009).
Traum, M.J., E.L. Thomas, W.A. Peters, “Effects of Nanoporous Barriers on Evaporative Cooling of Surfaces – Measurements and Mathematical Modeling”, to be submitted to the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, October, (2009).
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