Katja Lindenberg (born 1941) is an Ecuadorian-American theoretical

chemical physicist Chemical physics is a subdiscipline of chemistry and physics that investigates physicochemical phenomena using techniques from atomic and molecular physics and condensed matter physics; it is the branch of physics that studies chemical process ...

whose research concerns

statistical mechanics In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. It does not assume or postulate any natural laws, but explains the macroscopic be ...

stochastic process In probability theory and related fields, a stochastic () or random process is a mathematical object usually defined as a family of random variables. Stochastic processes are widely used as mathematical models of systems and phenomena that appea ...

es,

non-equilibrium thermodynamics Non-equilibrium thermodynamics is a branch of thermodynamics that deals with physical systems that are not in thermodynamic equilibrium but can be described in terms of macroscopic quantities (non-equilibrium state variables) that represent an ext ...

, and

quantum thermodynamics Quantum thermodynamics is the study of the relations between two independent physical theories: thermodynamics and quantum mechanics. The two independent theories address the physical phenomena of light and matter. In 1905, Albert Einstein argued ...

. She is Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Chancellor's Associates Endowed Chair Emeritus at the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...

Education and career

Lindenberg is originally from

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

. She graduated from

Alfred University Alfred University is a private university in Alfred (village), New York, Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The ...

in 1962, and completed her Ph.D. at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 1967. After postdoctoral research at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

, she joined the faculty at the University of California, San Diego in 1969. She retired in 2019.

Contributions

With Bruce J. West, Lindenberg authored the book ''The Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics of Open and Closed Systems'' (Wiley/VCH, 1990). Her research has also studied chemical transport on

fractal In mathematics, a fractal is a geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scales, as illu ...

media.

Recognition

Lindenberg was named a

Fellow of the American Physical Society The American Physical Society honors members with the designation ''Fellow'' for having made significant accomplishments to the field of physics. The following lists are divided chronologically by the year of designation. * List of American Physic ...

(APS) in 1992, after a nomination from the APS Division of Chemical Physics, "for her fundamental contributions to nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and the theory of stochastic processes toward the understanding of the evolution of coupled nonlinear systems of importance in physical applications". The University of California System Senate gave Lindenberg the 2016 Oliver Johnson Award for Distinguished Senate Service, including serving as the first female chair of the UC San Diego faculty senate. In 2017,

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

gave Lindenberg the ''Plus ratio quam vis'' medal. In 2019, the University of California, San Diego held a symposium on honor of her 50 years at the university and her retirement that year. In 2020 the university gave her their Revelle Medal in honor of her service to the university.

References

External links

Lindenberg group home page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lindenberg, Katja 1941 births Living people American chemists American physicists American women chemists American women physicists Ecuadorian scientists Ecuadorian women scientists Ecuadorian emigrants to the United States Alfred University alumni Cornell University alumni University of California, San Diego faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society 21st-century American women 21st-century Ecuadorian women