Feinberg publishes book, gives Princeton University's William Pierson Field lectures

Professor Emeritus Martin Feinberg, a pioneer in the rapidly emerging field of chemical reaction network theory, has published a new, 454-page book on the theory, which aims to tie aspects of reaction network structure in a precise way to the variety of qualitative behaviors that might be engendered. 

The book, entitled Foundations of Chemical Reaction Network Theory (Springer, 2019), provides a clear introduction to the chemical basis and important theorems of chemical reaction network theory. 

Dr. Feinberg, whose students revered his lectures for their clear elucidation of complex subjects, has delivered the same crystalline discourse in the book, a ten-year effort.

The book is being positively received.

Early peer reviews have been highly favorable, with one anonymous reviewer saying "Reading this book inspires awe..." and another saying "... highly original ...  There is nothing even remotely comparable in the literature."

Although the hardcover edition will not be released until February 19, the electronic edition has already had 814 downloads. 

The publisher's statement reads: 

"This book presents deep and surprising theorems that relate the graphical and algebraic structure of a reaction network to qualitative properties of the intricate system of nonlinear differential equations that the network induces.

Over the course of three main parts, Feinberg provides a gradual transition from a tutorial on the basics of reaction network theory, to a survey of some of its principal theorems, and, finally, to a discussion of the theory's more technical aspects. 

Written with great clarity, this book will be of value to mathematicians and to mathematically-inclined biologists, chemists, physicists, and engineers who want to contribute to chemical reaction network theory or make use of its powerful results."

Professor Feinberg, who assumed emeritus status in 2016, has maintained a vigorous research program. In October 2018, Dr. Feinberg gave an invited four-lecture series at Princeton University, the William Pierson Field lectures, established by loyal Princeton alumnus and early philanthropist William Pierson Field, who passed away in 1920. Professor Feinberg's topic for the lectures was "The Interplay of Thermodynamics, Reaction Engineering, and Mathematics."

In years past, Professor Feinberg has given other named lectures, such as the Wilhelm Lectures at Princeton; the Amundson Lectures at the University of Houston; and a John Von Neumann Lecture in Theoretical Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study. He also gave an Institute Colloquium Lecture at the Institute of Science & Technology in Vienna, Austria.

Feinberg is an AIChE Wilhelm Award recipient whose outstanding teaching won him Ohio State's highest teaching honor, the Ohio State University Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching (2014), in addition to previous teaching awards.