James R. Fair

James R. Fair
Born
James Rutherford Fair

(1920-10-14)October 14, 1920
DiedOctober 11, 2010(2010-10-11) (aged 89)
Alma materThe Citadel

Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Michigan

University of Texas at Austin
SpouseMerle Innis (m. 1950)
Children3
Scientific career
InstitutionsMonsanto Company
University of Texas at Austin
Doctoral advisorHoward F. Rase

James Rutherford Fair (October 14, 1920 October 11, 2010) was an American chemical engineer. His professional career included 33 years working in a variety of industrial positions, primarily for Monsanto Company.

In 1979, he shifted to academia, joining the University of Texas at Austin School of Chemical Engineering, where he founded the Separations Research Program, which he headed from 1982 until 1996. Although he officially retired in 1992, he remained active as professor emeritus until his death in 2010.

He was particularly noted for his research into separation technologies, especially distillation and extraction. He was a registered Professional Engineer in Missouri and Texas. He published more than 200 technical papers and book chapters.