Rolf Reitz

Rolf D. Reitz
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Mechanical engineer, academic, and author
Academic background
EducationB.Sc., Mechanical Engineering
M.Sc., Mechanical Engineering
M.S., Mechanics
M.A., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Ph.D., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Alma materUniversity of Cape Town
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Princeton University
ThesisAtomization and Other Breakup Regimes of a Liquid Jet (1978)
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (UW)

Rolf D. Reitz is an American mechanical engineer, academic, and author whose research focuses on internal combustion engines, chemical kinetics, and sprays. He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW).

Reitz's group works on developing and using advanced computer models to design fuel-injected engines, including both diesel and spark-ignition engines. His team has also led the development of a dual-fuel engine technology, Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI).

Reitz is a co-founder and Partner at Wisconsin Engine Research Consultants (WERC) and a member of the CO2 Coalition. He is a Member of the Combustion Institute, an Elected Member of the European Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Additionally, he co-founded the International Journal of Engine Research and served as Co-Editor for two decades.

Reitz's contributions to the field have earned him several awards, including the 2004 Soichiro Honda Medal, the 2011 ASME Internal Combustion Engine Award, the 2012 DOE Vehicle Technologies R&D Award "in recognition of innovative combustion strategies leading to significant improvements in engine efficiency," the 2016 SAE John H. Johnson Award for "outstanding leadership in research in diesel engines," and the 2016 Aurel Stodola Medal, with the citation: "His research foundations have led to cleaner, more efficient engines."