John Leonard Anderson

John L. Anderson was president of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) during 2019-25. He was elected to the NAE in 1992 for his research on colloidal hydrodynamics and membrane transport processes. He served on the NAE’s Council from 2015-2019 and previously served on study committees for the National Academies. His academic career spanned 48 years. He has served as president of the Illinois Institute of Technology, and as provost and executive vice president at Case Western Reserve University. His 28-year tenure on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University included 8 years as dean of the College of Engineering and 11 years as head of the Chemical Engineering Department. His first faculty appointment was in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University. During his academic career, he mentored 26 PhD students in their thesis work. Anderson was a presidential appointee to the National Science Board for the period 2014-2020. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Other professional recognition includes the Professional Progress Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California, election to Academia Sinica (Taiwan) as an Honorary Academician, and honorary doctorates from five universities. Anderson received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and a PhD degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, both in chemical engineering. He is married to Patricia Siemen Anderson; they have two children and five grandchildren. He was a good golfer in high school but got the yips and shanks, so he decided to focus on chemical engineering.