Ray Henry Baughman

Dr. Ray H. Baughman, a pioneer in the field of nanotechnology and a pillar of scientific discovery and innovation at The University of Texas at Dallas for more than 23 years, died April 18 at the age of 82.

Baughman was the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair in Chemistry in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) and director of the Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute at UT Dallas, where his research involved engineering materials and systems at the molecular scale. He was especially known for his work with carbon nanotubes, which are tiny cylindrical structures made from sheets of carbon atoms.

"Ray Baughman was a great champion of team science and a community builder," said Dr. Richard C. Benson, president of UT Dallas and the Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Chair of Leadership. "From high school students to industry partners to distinguished scientists the world over, Ray welcomed all to join him in the pursuit of knowledge about nanotechnology and about carbon nanotubes in particular. His boundless generosity - with his time, his insights and his enthusiasm - was remarkable."

Carbon nanotube materials are very strong and have unique electrical and mechanical properties that make them potentially suitable for use in areas such as artificial muscles, wearable electronics, electronic displays, solar panels, batteries and harvesters of waste energy.

Baughman, one of the most highly cited researchers in materials science, collaborated with scientists from around the world, including Australia, South Korea, China and Canada. His accomplishments include using carbon nanotubes to make artificial muscles that are 100 times stronger than natural muscles, developing sound projectors that make objects seem to disappear, and converting ordinary fishing line and sewing thread into powerful artificial muscles.

Baughman's research breakthroughs earned spots in the Scientific American 50, recognizing outstanding technological leadership, and in Time's "50 Best Inventions of the Year."

"Ray Baughman's scientific curiosity fed his insatiable appetite for discovery and innovation," said Dr. Inga H. Musselman, UT Dallas provost, vice president for academic affairs, professor of chemistry and the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair of Academic Leadership. "His lifetime of achievement, including his 23 years at UT Dallas that significantly advanced nanotechnology and other fields, leaves a legacy of creativity and prolific inventiveness that is second to none."

Colleagues also described Baughman as a natural collaborator who fostered excitement about the pursuit of knowledge. His passion for science and problem solving was infectious. Baughman's energy coupled with his warm personality and down-to-earth disposition made him an exemplary mentor and teacher.

From Industry to Academia

In the early 2000s, UT Dallas wanted to be part of the burgeoning field of nanotechnology, the study and control of materials on the atomic and molecular scales. The administration approached Dr. Alan G. MacDiarmid, who had just won the 2000 Nobel Prize in chemistry, for help. MacDiarmid suggested Baughman, a 30-year industry veteran at Honeywell International Inc. who was an established inventor and expert in the field.

UT Dallas' NanoTech Institute opened in 2001 with Baughman as its director. In 2002, MacDiarmid joined the UT Dallas faculty, and the center was named in his honor in 2007.

Dr. Anvar Zakhidov, professor of physics and deputy director of the NanoTech Institute, was Baughman's friend and colleague for nearly 40 years. He joined UT Dallas from Honeywell with Baughman in 2001.

"Ray was always dreaming about big goals, and he had magic skills to inspire nanotech students and researchers to work with enthusiasm and excitement to achieve those goals," he said. "His most recent goal was to produce graphyne, a potentially useful form of carbon that does not exist in nature but that Ray and his colleagues in 1987 predicted could be fabricated. Recently, he and his research team published a paper describing how they synthesized a unique form of graphyne so it could be studied. He was always forging ahead."

Steve Collins MS'97, PhD'01, director of operations at the Nanotech Institute, worked with Baughman from the founding of the institute, conducting research and currently managing the research programs and day-to-day operations of the institute.

"Everyone knows that Ray was a brilliant scientist. His track record of seminal discoveries, landmark inventions and the success of the researchers he mentored speaks for itself," he said. "I was by his side in every aspect of his life for the past quarter-century, and his love of life and compassion for everyone he ever met was to me his greatest attribute. He truly loved everyone."

Led by Baughman, NanoTech Institute researchers have made pioneering discoveries involving carbon nanotubes and polymer fibers, resulting in advances that are being translated into commercial applications. In 2015, UT Dallas licensed to Lintec of America a patented process Baughman developed that transforms carbon nanotubes into useful, large-scale structures such as sheets and twisted yarns that are super- strong and extremely light.

"The world knew Dr. Baughman as a brilliant physicist and chemist, especially in the revolutionary field of nanotechnology. His work reshaped industries and inspired countless innovations," said Dr. David Hyndman, dean of NSM and the Francis S. and Maurine G. Johnson Distinguished University Chair. "To us, he was far more than an outstanding scientist - he was a mentor, a colleague and a cherished friend whose integrity and boundless curiosity inspired generations of researchers and students. "His legacy will endure not only in the chronicles of science but in the hearts of those whose lives he profoundly influenced."

Student-Mentor Connection

Born on a turkey farm in western Pennsylvania, Baughman had a notion early on that he wanted to be a scientist. In 1958, a 16-year-old Baughman traveled to the University of Pittsburgh to knock on professors' doors in search of a summer research opportunity. Dr. George A. Jeffrey, a professor of chemistry and physics, answered and gave Baughman a chance to conduct research in a lab. In 2002, in honor of his mentor, Baughman established the George A. Jeffrey NanoExplorers Program, which brings talented high school students into UT Dallas laboratories to conduct original research in nanotechnology and other fields.

Baughman received a bachelor's degree in physics from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in 1964 and a master's (1966) and PhD (1971) in the materials science area from Harvard University. He earned an Alumni Lifetime (Distinguished) Achievement Award from the CMU Alumni Association in 2007.

Baughman was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas; a foreign member of the European Academy of Sciences; a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the National Academy of Inventors, and the American Physical Society; an Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences; and an honorary professor at seven universities in China. He also served on the editorial or advisory boards of Science and other scientific journals.

Ray Baughman loved spending time with family, friends and students. He deeply enjoyed travel, water sports, reading about American history and watching British mysteries. He spent the last weeks of his life surrounded by family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Karen McCarthy Baughman; his children Lara Purser, Heather Baughman, Dana Singh, Rebecca Baughman and Alexander Baughman, eight grandchildren and his sisters MaryJane Jones and Linda Baughman.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the 2025 Memorial – Ray Baughman- The University of Texas at Dallas or Notre Dame School of Dallas.