Howard Theodore "Ted" Davis (1937 - 2009) was an American chemical engineer and Regents Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science (CEMS) at the University of Minnesota. He is internationally known for his work in statistical thermodynamics, transport in porous media, and surface thermodynamics. Davis was an author of more than 400 academic papers and five books including the acclaimed textbooks: “Linear Algebra and Linear Operators in Engineering” (Academic Press, 2000, 1st Edition)., "Statistical Mechanics of Phases, Interfaces and Thin Films" (John Wiley & Sons, 1995, 1st Edition). He served as department head of CEMS for 15 years (1980-1995), followed by his leadership as dean (1995-2005) of the Institute of Technology, the University of Minnesota's colle