Coming to Terms with Complex Chemistry

Very early in his career, Rutherford Aris realized that chemical engineers would have to confront the challenges of reactors with complex chemistry in a systematic way. He understood that this would require at least some of us to begin development of a systematic framework with which intricate reactors might be approached. He also realized quite early that biology, with all its complications, was central to the future of chemical engineering. Aris's urgings in these directions laid the groundwork for chemical engineers to provide unique insights into complex chemical dynamics generally and into biology specifically. Some recent results, inspired by the Aris legacy, will be reviewed.