author
Robert B. Meyer
A pioneering physicist who helped shape modern understanding of liquid crystals, he also wrote about aviation history with the same curiosity and precision. His work bridges deep scientific research and a clear love of how complex systems behave in the real world.
1 Audiobook
The First Airplane Diesel Engine: Packard Model DR-980 of 1928
by Robert B. Meyer
About the author
Born in St. Louis in 1943, Robert B. Meyer studied physics at Harvard University, earning his bachelor's degree in 1965 and his PhD in 1970. He went on to build a long career at Brandeis University, where he became a professor of physics and later professor emeritus.
Meyer was widely known for influential work on liquid crystals and soft condensed matter. His research helped explain important electro-optical effects in liquid crystals, and his name is closely associated with foundational ideas in the field. At Brandeis, his work ranged from basic theory to the behavior of complex materials and patterns.
Alongside his scientific career, he was also the author of The First Airplane Diesel Engine: Packard Model DR-980 of 1928, showing a strong interest in engineering history as well as physics. He died in 2023 at the age of 80.