From advancing the understanding of complex fluid flows to developing applications used across multiple industries, Jeffrey F. Morris has spent decades pushing the boundaries of engineering research. Morris, the director of the Benjamin Levich Institute for Physico-Chemical Hydrodynamics at the Grove School of Engineering was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the profession’s most prestigious honors, recognizing his contributions to the study of concentrated suspension and hydrate slurry flows.
Reflecting on the work that led to the recognition, Morris emphasized the importance of the Benjamin Levich Institute and the collaborative research environment at City College.
“It was very important that the Levich Institute was the place where I was working because it allowed me to fully address the types of problems I was interested in,” Morris said.
He also highlighted the influence of longtime collaborations with colleagues and faculty members throughout his career. Morris also reflected on the influence of Andreas Acrivos, the former director of the Benjamin Levich Institute, whom he referred to as his “academic grandfather.”
According to Morris, one of the strengths of CCNY and the Grove School of Engineering is the close relationship between scientific theory and practical application. “The area that I work in is really an area where it’s very basic science that is also tightly connected with applications,” he explained, noting that the complexity of these engineering problems requires both scientific innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.
In addition to his recent election to the National Academy of Engineering, Morris has also received the Weissenberg Award from the European Society of Rheology and the Bingham Medal, two highly respected distinctions in the field of fluid mechanics and rheology. The research that contributed to these honors primarily focused on concentrated suspensions, the study of solid particles dispersed in liquids and the flow behavior of those materials. Morris has also conducted influential work in hydrate slurry flow, an area traditionally associated with the oil industry that is now gaining relevance in discussions surrounding alternative energy systems and energy transport technologies.
When asked what initially drew him to such a specialized field, Morris explained that his interest developed gradually over time. Early in his career, he believed he was working primarily within a narrow branch of fluid mechanics, focusing on how particles move through fluids and the properties of those mixtures. However, he later came to realize that his research was deeply connected to rheology, the study of how materials flow and deform under stress.
With a strong foundation in fluid mechanics, Morris began studying these materials through both experimental and simulation-based approaches. Over time, he found himself increasingly fascinated by what happens when materials approach the point of no longer flowing altogether.
“The behavior that was most interesting occurred when the system was almost ready to stop flowing,” Morris explained. At the same time, he was collaborating with industries facing practical engineering problems involving this exact phenomenon. As a result, Morris said his career naturally evolved into balancing real-world industrial applications with the study of the underlying scientific principles behind them.
Earlier in his career, Morris worked in industry and initially hoped the experience would allow him to bridge both worlds more directly. While he valued the work he did there, he realized it was not entirely aligned with the type of research he ultimately wanted to pursue.
Wanting to focus more deeply on the fundamental scientific questions behind fluid mechanics and chemical engineering, Morris began looking for an institution that respected both disciplines equally. He found that environment at the Benjamin Levich Institute at City College. “The fact that the Levich Institute was very much devoted to that type of thing was important to me,” Morris said, noting that he had known about the institute since graduate school after attending a seminar at CCNY. At the time, he already recognized the institute as a highly respected center for research in the field. CCNY was a place where he could combine his interest in fundamental scientific research with real-world industrial applications.
Daniella is a writer and journalism student whose work explores the intersection of research, culture, and communication. She is currently a Writing Assistant at the Research and Innovation Center at City College of New York.