Remembering Professor Emeritus J. Leon Shohet

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Professor Emeritus J. Leon Shohet passed away on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at the age of 86. 

Professor Shohet was a member of the ECE faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for over 50 years.  He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University, and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Carnegie Mellon University.  He joined the ECE department at Wisconsin as an associate professor in 1966, served as the department chair from 1986-1990, and retired in 2020.

Within the field of electrical engineering, Shohet’s research centered on the science and applications of plasmas.  His investigations spanned many areas, including plasma-aided manufacturing, controlled fusion, biophysics, and nonlinear science.  Shohet authored two textbooks on plasma science, in addition to more than 200 journal articles, and more than 500 conference papers. He also obtained 12 patents.

Professor Shohet was an internationally recognized leader in his field.  In 1973, he created IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, a new journal for research results through the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).  He also served as president of the Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society of IEEE for two years in 1980 and 1981.

In 1974, Professor Shohet orchestrated the acquisition of the Proto-Cleo, a toroidal magnetic device or stellarator.  “With the acquisition of Proto-Cleo (‘Dr. Shohet’s fusion doughnut’ as referred to in the newspaper), Leon brought the stellarator program back to life in the US. If it weren’t for Leon, there wouldn’t be a strong Wisconsin stellarator program today, which has produced many experts in plasma science, of national and international stature.  Leon was the Primary Investigator on the Helically Symmetrical Experiment (HSX) project in the first few years while concurrently running the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center for Plasma-Aided Manufacturing,” according to ECE Professor Emeritus David Anderson, a research colleague of Prof. Shohet.

The Engineering Research Center for Plasma-Aided Manufacturing opened in 1988 on the UW–Madison campus with Shohet as its director. The center partnered with industrial manufacturers to research plasma science and engineering directed toward producing materials with unique characteristics.  The plasma etching, deposition and surface modification methods that were the focus of the center are critical to the fabrication of a myriad of products in wide use today, including the microchips in every cell phone and computer, reliable and long-lasting artificial joints and durable jet engine components, just to name a few.  Plasma technology is inherently cross-disciplinary, involving multiple engineering disciplines in addition to physics and chemistry. 

According to ECE Professor and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Physical Sciences Amy Wendt, “Shohet’s vision and advocacy created the first NSF-supported interdisciplinary research center on the UW–Madison campus, leveraging the expertise of faculty and students from many departments across the university’s schools and colleges to advance plasma science and technology.”

Highly regarded as a researcher, Shohet was named Fellow by the American Physical Society in 1975 and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1977. During his career, he also received the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society Merit Award, and Richard F. Shea Award; the IEEE Plasma Science and Applications Prize; the IEEE Centennial Medal; and the John Yarwood Memorial Medal from the British Vacuum Council.

ECE Department Chair and Philip D. Reed Professor Susan Hagness remembers, “He was a pioneering researcher in the field of plasma science and engineering and left a long legacy in the countless students and postdocs he mentored over the years who became leaders in their professional endeavors around the world.”

Photo at top of page: Professor Shohet (second from left) and graduate students installing the newly acquired stellarator (1974) from “Electrical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin in Madison: A Centennial History 1891-1991”.