James Duderstadt

James Johnson Duderstadt (born December 5, 1942) was the President of the University of Michigan from 1988 to 1996.

Duderstadt was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1987 for significant contributions to nuclear science and engineering relating to fission and fusion energy systems and reactor theory and design.

On April 30, 2015, the National Science Board announced that James Duderstadt will receive its prestigious Vannevar Bush Award. Duderstadt was being recognized for his leadership in science and technology and his substantial contributions to the welfare of the nation through public service activities in science, technology and public policy.

He currently holds the title of President Emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan.

Biography
James Johnson Duderstadt was born on 5 December 1942 in Carrollton, Missouri. He received a B.A. from Yale University in 1964, and an M.S. in 1965 and a PhD in 1967 from California Institute of Technology. At Caltech, he studied under nuclear physicist Noel Corngold.

In 1972, he worked for the NASA Lewis Research Center, then for the U.S. Army Missile Command from 1973 to 1975, and eventually for the Argonne National Laboratory from 1975 to 1979. He worked as an assistant professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1972, associate professor from 1972 to 1976, and full professor from 1976 to 1981. He then became dean of the College of Engineering. In 1988, he was appointed as President of the same institution, up until 1996. He and his wife, Anne Lock-Duderstadt, lived in the university's President's House.

He has served on the boards of National Science Foundation, the National Commission on the Future of Higher Education, the Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee of the Department of Energy, the Big Ten Athletic Conference, the University of Michigan Hospitals, Unisys, CMS Energy, and the Glion Colloquium, among others.

The main library on the University of Michigan's North Campus is named The James and Anne Duderstadt Center (commonly referred as "The Dude") in honor of Duderstadt and his wife, Anne ("Ma Dude"). Formerly called the Media Union, it houses the Art, Architecture & Engineering Library and also contains computer clusters, audio and video editing laboratories, galleries, and studios, as well as usability and various digital media laboratories, including virtual reality. The Millennium Project, which focuses on the future of the university learning environment and is where Duderstadt currently maintains an appointment, is also housed in the Duderstadt Center.