John W. Cahn
John W. Cahn | |
|---|---|
John W. Cahn | |
| Born | Hans Werner Cahn January 9, 1928 |
| Died | March 14, 2016 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan University of California at Berkeley |
| Known for | Allen–Cahn equation |
| Spouse | Anne Hessing Cahn |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Metallurgy |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| Doctoral advisor | Richard Edward Powell |
John Werner Cahn (January 9, 1928 – March 14, 2016) was an American scientist and recipient of the 1998 National Medal of Science. Born in Cologne, Weimar Germany, he was a professor in the department of metallurgy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1964 to 1978. From 1977, he held a position at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (formerly the National Bureau of Standards). Cahn had a profound influence on the course of materials research during his career. One of the foremost authorities on thermodynamics, Cahn applied the basic laws of thermodynamics to describe and predict a wide range of physical phenomena.