Dr. Barry S. Johnston’s four-decade-long career in chemical engineering reflects an exceptional blend of scholarly accomplishment, industrial expertise, and dedicated mentorship that has shaped future generations of engineers in the classroom and industry alike.
Johnston received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from The University of Alabama Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering and went on to receive a master’s degree from Clarkson College of Technology and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, both in chemical engineering.
Johnston is a retired senior lecturer and undergraduate officer in the department of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He maintained an industrial career at Eastman Chemicals, DuPont, and Westinghouse, where his work involved process design, troubleshooting, and research in boiling heat transfer and two-phase flow.
Following his industrial career, Johnston began at MIT, first directing student projects in the practice school internship program at Dow Chemical and Dow Corning and later teaching undergraduate students in material and energy balances, computations, process control, project laboratory, and capstone design courses. Johnston was the department’s undergraduate officer for much of his time at MIT, and he served as the practice school station director as needed for terms in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Johnston recently created an introductory short course on chemical engineering, which was presented in February 2026 to high school students in Beijing, China.
He received several awards during his time at MIT, including the 2022 Ellen Mandigo Award for Service, the 2022 Alan Lazarus Excellence in Advising Award, the 2017 Innovative Seminar Award, and the 2006 Michael Mohr Outstanding Faculty Award for Undergraduate Teaching. Further, Johnston was honored as a 2010 Centennial Fellow by the Styslinger College of Engineering.
Johnston and his wife, Julianne, have three children and six grandchildren.