Ernest R. Blatchley III, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Process Engineering at XCMR and the Lee A. Rieth Professor in Environmental Engineering at Purdue University, has more than 40 years of experience in Environmental Engineering.
Dr. Blatchley’s expertise is in the area of Physico/Chemical Processes of Environmental Engineering, with particular emphasis on engineering applications of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and disinfection processes. He has authored roughly 130 publications in refereed journals, as well as 15 book chapters. He has given more than 140 invited presentations to audiences on six continents.
Dr. Blatchley and his collaborators have made important contributions to the development of photochemical reactor theory. He introduced the concept of the dose distribution and was among the first to apply modeling methods that incorporated fluence rate fields and computational fluid dynamics to predict photochemical reactor behavior; these tools are foundational to design of contemporary photochemical reactors. His group and collaborators have also done foundational research related to photochemistry and photobiology. He holds four US Patents related to engineering applications of UV radiation.
He authored the book Photochemical Reactors: Theory, Methods, and Applications of Ultraviolet Radiation that provides a comprehensive summary of engineering and scientific principles that govern photochemical reactor behavior (Wiley, 2023). He has also developed an online class by the same title that provides graduate students in engineering and the physical sciences with formal coursework on these issues (see here).
Dr. Blatchley received a B.S. in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from Purdue University, with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, also in Civil (Environmental) Engineering.
He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a registered Professional Engineer (Indiana), and a Board Certified Environmental Engineer (American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists). He is currently President-Elect of the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) and will serve a two-year term as IUVA President starting in 2025.
