EDWARD J. KRAMER (1939-2014)

BY PETER F. GREEN

EDWARD JOHN KRAMER, a pioneering figure in the fields of diffusion in polymers, fracture mechanics, and earlier in his career, superconductivity, died on Dec. 27, 2014, at the age of 75 in Santa Barbara, California. He spent the first stage of his professional career at Cornell University, where he was Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. He later served as a Distinguished Professor of Materials and of Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Ed, as he was affectionally called, was married to Gale, and together they had two children, Eric and Jeanne. Born on Aug. 5, 1939, in Wilmington, Delaware, he developed an early love for science and engineering, inspired in part by his father, Edward Noble Kramer, an intellectual leader in science and technology at DuPont de Nemours, Inc. He graduated at the top of his class from Cornell University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and was known among his classmates for his generosity in helping others succeed through the grueling academic program. He earned his doctoral degree in metallurgy and materials science from Carnegie Mellon University in 1966, focusing on flux pinning in superconducting materials. His postdoctoral work as a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) fellow, under Sir Peter Hirsch (NAE 2001), Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), a pioneer in electron microscopy, marked the beginning of career defined by intellectual rigor and cross-disciplinary innovation.

Ed joined the faculty of Cornell University in 1967 as an assistant professor of materials science and engineering (MSE) conducting seminal and still widely cited research in superconductivity. In the late 1970s, his focus shifted towards biomaterials, including collagen, and then to the emerging field of polymer crazing. In the early 1980s, he moved into studies of polymer diffusion and phase behavior in polymer-polymer blends, particularly under dimensional confinement – areas that were poorly understood at the time. His work laid much of the foundation for modern understanding of polymer-polymer and polymer-solvent diffusion, as well as the microstructural behavior of complex polymer systems.

In 1997, he joined the faculty of the UCSB, where he played a leading role in shaping the university’s globally recognized polymer program. At UCSB, he continued to push the frontiers of science, expanding into the microstructure of block copolymer thin films and the structure-property relationships of semiconducting polymers with applications in organic electronics. In Santa Barbara, both Gale and Ed embraced the West Cost lifestyle, with Ed famously trading the jacket and tie of his Cornell years for tropical shirts.

Beyond his research, Ed was a deeply committed mentor and leader. His colleagues, students and postdoctoral researchers went on to influential careers in academia, national laboratories, and industry. The polymer community at UCSB grew and prospered under his mentorship. Ed led by example, instilling in his students a deep appreciation for understanding the foundations of both basic and technologically relevant science and engineering problems. He consistently provided leadership and critical insight when collaborating on a wide range of challenges. It was always refreshing to see him attend lectures by former students, even years after they had left his group. His standards were high, and he expected the same from all his students and colleagues. As a result, they were all extremely careful to ensure their work was not only insightful, but error-free – otherwise, they could expect pointed questions from him. He had an incredible eye for detail, a quality that continues to benefit his students and colleagues.

Ed’s contributions were remarkable not only for their impact but for the unique approach he took – consistently working at the interface of basic science and engineering while applying experimental techniques that had not been previously used to address such challenges. He generated foundational insights into the mechanical behavior of thin polymer films, leveraging synchrotron-based small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to investigate in-situ polymer morphology during mechanical deformation. By combining SAXS with electron microscopy, Ed revealed key relationships between morphology and properties, enabling discoveries that are now integral to the field. The research produced some of the most highly cited studies on polymer crazing, a testament to both the originality and rigor of his work.

He was a trailblazer in polymer-polymer and polymer-solvent diffusion and in studying phase separation in polymer-polymer systems under confinement – areas that were poorly understood at the time. He pioneered the use of ion beam techniques, such as Rutherford Backscattering and forward recoil spectrometry, to investigate spatial and temporal behavior in polymers and polymer-based nanocomposite systems. His long-term studies of diffusion and phase separation in thin films, exploiting the use of ion beam techniques, neutron reflectivity, and interferometry, uncovered previously unseen microstructural phenomena in block copolymers and demonstrated surface-directed spinodal decomposition – an effect more commonly observed in crystalline materials. His ability to link theory and experiments made him a sought-after advisor across academic, industry, and government. His insights influenced not only materials research, but also scientific policy and education. He served on numerous boards, editorial panels, and advisory committees, and his technical guidance was regularly requested by corporations, universities, and non-profit organizations.

Ed’s dedication to the polymer community, his industriousness, and his sense of integrity were widely admired. He was regarded as a true global pioneer and intellectual leader in the field of polymer science and engineering. His discoveries and insights are documented in nearly 500 publications that continue to be widely cited. His influence is magnified by the achievements of his students and collaborators, many of whom became respected scientists in their own right – furthering Ed’s legacy of intellectual rigor and intentionally with which they approached their research problems.

He was a fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS) and the American Physical Society (APS), and in 1985 he was awarded the APS Polymer Physics Prize (the Ford Prize – the field’s most prestigious honor – shared with Roger Kambour of General Electric for their fundamental insights into the crazing of polymers. Ed received numerous national and international honors, including the 2008 Cooperative Research Award from the American Chemical Society’s Division of Polymer Materials Science and Engineering, the Swinburne Medal from the Institute of Materials, and the Polymeer Technologie Nederland Medema Award from the Dutch Polymer Society. He was also selected for the prestigious Turnbull Lectureship by MRS, recognizing his approach to understanding complex phenomena through rigorous theoretical and experimental approaches. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014 and the National Academy of Engineering in 1989. His inspiration lives on.