UMass Amherst Alumni Association

Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

William MacKnight

Dr. William MacKnight is a William D. Barrett Professor Emeritus of Polymer Science and Engineering at UMass Amherst. He joined the UMass faculty in 1965 as a member of the Chemistry Department, and became part of a small group of faculty responsible for creating the Polymer Science and Engineering program in 1966. The program received department status in 1974.

MacKnight served as department head for 16 years and was instrumental in securing funding for the Silvio O. Conte National Center for Polymer Research on campus. His research centered on how the material properties of polymers relate to their basic underlying molecular structure. He specialized in blending polymers to produce new materials with unique properties.

For his work, MacKight received the American Chemical Society Award in Polymer Chemistry, the Ford Prize in High Polymer Physics, and a membership in the National Academy of Engineering. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester in 1958 and doctorate from Princeton University in 1964.