Robert Byron Bird

Robert Byron Bird
Born(1924-02-05)February 5, 1924
DiedNovember 13, 2020(2020-11-13) (aged 96)
Alma materUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (BS)
University of Wisconsin (PhD)
Known forFENE-P model
Scientific career
FieldsTransport phenomena,
Non-Newtonian fluids,
Rheology,
Polymers
InstitutionsUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
ThesisIntermolecular forces and the virial equation of state (1950)
Doctoral advisorJoseph O. Hirschfelder
Doctoral studentsArnold Fredrickson
Pierre Carreau
Robert C. Armstrong

Robert Byron Bird (February 5, 1924 – November 13, 2020) was an American chemical engineer and professor emeritus in the department of chemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was known for his research in transport phenomena of non-Newtonian fluids, including fluid dynamics of polymers, polymer kinetic theory, and rheology. He, along with Warren E. Stewart and Edwin N. Lightfoot, was an author of the classic textbook Transport Phenomena. Bird was a recipient of the National Medal of Science in 1987.