Bruce R. Kowalski

Bruce R. Kowalski, 70, a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Washington and a pioneer in the field of chemometrics, died on Dec. 1, 2012, from lymphoma.

Kowalski earned B.S. degrees in chemistry and mathematics from Millikin University, in Decatur, Ill., in 1965, and a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Washington in 1969.

He worked as a chemist and geophysicist at Shell Development and then as a chemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before joining Colorado State University as an assistant professor of chemistry. He moved to the University of Washington in 1974 and rose through the ranks, becoming a professor in 1979 and the Endowed Professor of Analytical Chemistry in 1991.

Serving as founding editor of the journal Chemometrics, Kowalski was also the inaugural director of the National Science Foundation-funded Center for Process Analytical Chemistry at the University of Washington.

Kowalski worked as a private consultant and also founded the chemometrics company Infometrix in Seattle in 1978. He was a member of ACS from 1963 until 1999.

He received numerous accolades, including the Malcolm E. Pruitt Award from the Council for Chemical Research in 1988, the Theophilus Redwood Endowed Lectureship from the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1989, and the Torbern Bergman Medal from the Swedish Chemical Society’s analytical division in 1993.

After his retirement in 1999, Kowalski joined the Fort Lewis Mesa fire department in Durango, Colo., where he specialized in the handling of hazardous materials. Kowalski and his companion dog, Chaco-Bob, were a key part of the district’s canine search and rescue program.

Kowalski is survived by his wife of 38 years, Sandy Torgeson; daughter, Jennifer; and son, Gregory.