The Grainger College of Engineering
Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering

Leon Liebenberg

Leon Liebenberg
Leon Liebenberg
Teaching Professor
(217) 300-5496
121 Talbot Laboratory
ASSOC DIR, M.ENG. PRGM

For More Information

Education

  • B. Eng. (Mechanical), University of Johannesburg, 1989
  • M. Eng. (Mechanical), University of Johannesburg, 1991
  • Diploma of Imperial College (DIC): Advanced Mechanical Engineering, University of London, 1992
  • M. Sc. (Mechanical Engineering), Imperial College London, 1993
  • Ph. D. (Mechanical Engineering), University of Johannesburg, 2003

Biography

For the past 32 years, Leon Liebenberg has been deeply involved in engineering teaching, research, and community engagement. He is currently a Teaching Professor in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Leon is also Associate Director of the Grainger College of Engineering's interdisciplinary Master of Engineering (Energy Systems) Program, which draws around 50 master's students a year.

Before joining UIUC’s Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering in 2017, Leon worked as a higher education consultant in Lausanne, Switzerland, for three years. Prior to that, he was a full professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Pretoria and the North-West University in South Africa.

Leon is passionate about multidisciplinary research, particularly in engineering education, energy engineering, and biomedical engineering. His university research has focused on developing industrial energy-efficient technologies and cancer therapies using energy restriction methods, as well as creating novel pedagogies of engagement. However, his first love is teaching.

At UIUC, he founded the strategic instructional innovations program called ENGINE (ENgaGement In eNgineering Education). He collaborates with 20 faculty members and graduates from various disciplines to explore the relationship between pedagogies of engagement, cognition, and emotion, aiming to better understand how to engage students more fully in their learning, reflection, and testing of ideas.

In 2021, Leon co-founded and coordinated the Sustainability Competition for Undergraduate Students, which annually attracts around 300 participants from 11 international universities, including those in the University of Illinois System. The competition employs the guided self-study approach that Leon also uses in his graduate classes.

Leon teaches a variety of subjects, including Energy and Sustainability Engineering, Energy and Security, Energy Conversion Systems, Heat Transfer, Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer, Innovation, Statics, Dynamics, Thermodynamics, Fluid Dynamics, Automatic Control Systems, Design for Manufacturability, and Mechanical Design.

Leon Liebenberg holds a diploma in advanced mechanical engineering from the University of London, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London, and bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Johannesburg. As of October 2024, Leon Liebenberg’s research papers have an h-index of 33. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0834-6212

CORE COMPETENCIES: Passionate instructor - Team Leadership - Design-thinking - Multidisciplinary Research - Education for Sustainability - Technical Writing - Mentoring - Student Engagement - Negotiations - Partnership Development - Gamification - Brand Ambassadorship - Fundraising - Marketing - Strategies - Technical Presentations - Public Relations - Media Relations

Academic Positions

  • Associate Director, MEng (Energy Systems) Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Nov. 2024 - present
  • Teaching Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering, Aug. 2023 - present

Professional Registrations

  • Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2020 - current
  • Member, Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts (SLSA), 2020 - current member
  • Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME), intermittently a member since 1997, current member
  • Member, American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), intermittently a member since 1997, current member
  • Member, American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), 2019 - current member

Other Professional Activities

  • Affiliate, Siebel Center for Design (SCD), Aug. 2023 - current.
  • Faculty Affiliate, Center for Global Studies (CGS), 2022 - current.
  • Co-Chair of the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) Fellows Program, 2019 - 2021 Fellow of the CITL, 2019-2022.

Research Interests

  • Cross-disciplinary research activities focusing on energy system optimization and heat transfer enhancement
  • Collaborative intelligence techniques in engineering teaching and learning, with a focus on "self-directed learning", "pedagogies of engagement", "learning through play", "design-thinking", and stimulation of "emotional learning"

Books Authored or Co-Authored (Original Editions)

  • Liebenberg, L. Energy Systems: A Project-Based Approach to Sustainability Thinking for Energy Conversion Systems. New York: John Wiley and Sons. April 2024. (ISBN: 978-1-1198694-6-7). The textbook targets senior undergraduates and junior graduates and features pedagogies of engagement. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Energy+Systems%3A+A+Project+Based+Approach+to+Sustainability+Thinking+for+Energy+Conversion+Systems-p-9781119869467

Selected Articles in Journals

  • Bello-Ochende T, Liebenberg L, Meyer JP. Constructal cooling channels for micro-channel heat sinks. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2007;50(21-22): 4141 - 4150.
  • De Beer JC, Liebenberg L. Does cancer risk increase with HbA1c, independent of diabetes? British Journal of Cancer, 2014;110:2361-2368.
  • Du Plessis GE, Liebenberg L, Mathews EH, Du Plessis J. A versatile energy management system for large integrated cooling systems. Energy Conversion and Management, 2013;66:312-325.
  • Du Plessis GE, Liebenberg L, Mathews EH. Case study: The effects of a variable flow energy saving strategy on a deep-mine cooling system. Applied Energy, 2013;102:700-709.
  • Du Plessis GE, Liebenberg L, Mathews EH. The use of variable speed drives for cost-effective energy savings in South African mine cooling systems. Applied Energy, 2013;111:16-27.
  • EDUCATION: Müller M, Liebenberg L, Mathews EH, Young, PW. Quick estimates for analysis and prediction of the flight mechanics of unmanned aerial vehicles. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, 2012;40(1):53-77.
  • EDUCATION: Van Heerden ASJ, Lidbetter R, Liebenberg L, Meyer JP, Mathews EH. Development of a motion platform for an educational flight simulator. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, 2012;39(4):306-322.
  • Huyssen RJ, Spedding GR, Mathews EH, and Liebenberg L. Circulation control by means of a fuselage training edge. Journal of Aircraft, 2012;49(55):1279-1289.
  • Huyssen RJ, Spedding GR, Mathews EH, Liebenberg L. On the wing density and the inflation factor of aircraft. The Aeronautical Journal, 2016;120(1224): 291-312.
  • Invited paper to special issue of journal honoring the achievements of Professor Donald Wuebbles: Liebenberg L, McKim R, Tucker-Parks T, Lavey W. Coming to Understand Sustainable Energy using Guided Self-Directed Learning. Frontiers of Earth Science. In review (Oct. 2024).
  • Jacobs GG, Liebenberg L. The Influence of Timed Coolant Injection on Compressor Efficiency. Energy Conversion and Management, 2016;18:175-189.
  • Jonker A, Bosman J, Mathews EH, Liebenberg L. Flow over a glider canopy. Aeronautical Journal, 2014;118(1204):669-682.
  • Kim HJ, Liebenberg L, Jacobi AM. Thermal Performance of a Vertical Brazed Plate Heat Exchanger with Convective Boiling of R-134a near the Micro-Macroscale Transition. Journal of Heat Transfer, 2018;140(9): 09501.
  • Kwon B, Liebenberg L, Jacobi AM, WP King. Heat Transfer Enhancement of Internal Laminar Flows Using Additively Manufactured Static Mixers. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2019;137: 292-300.
  • Lambrechts A, Liebenberg L, Bergles AE, Meyer JP. Heat transfer performance during condensation inside horizontal smooth, micro-fin and herringbone tubes. Journal of Heat Transfer, 2006;128(7):691-700.
  • Liebenberg L, and Mathews EH. Integrating innovation skills in an introductory design-build course. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 2012;21(4):93-113.
  • Liebenberg L, Meyer JP. (Invited lead article). A review of flow pattern-based predictive corre-lations during refrigerant condensation in horizontally smooth and enhanced tubes. Heat Transfer Engineering, 2008;29(1):3 – 19.
  • Liebenberg L, Meyer JP. Objective classification of two-phase flow regimes. Heat Transfer Engineering, 2007;29(1):1-2.
  • Liebenberg, Thome JR, Meyer JP. Flow visualization and flow pattern identification with power spectral density distributions of pressure traces during refrigerant condensation in smooth and micro-fin tubes. Journal of Heat Transfer, 2005;127(3):209-220.
  • Mathews EH, Stander BA, Joubert AM, Liebenberg L. Tumour cell culture survival following glucose and glutamine deprivation at typical physiological concentrations. Nutrition, 2014;30(2):218-227.
  • Mathews MJ, Liebenberg L, Mathews EH. How do high glycemic load diets influence coronary heart disease? Nutrition & Metabolism, 2015;12:6. (Top 5% of articles ever reviewed by Altmetric.)
  • Olivier JA, Liebenberg L, Kedzierski MA, Meyer JP. Pressure drop during refrigerant condensation inside horizontal smooth, helical micro-fin, and herringbone micro-fin tubes. Journal of Heat Transfer, 2004;126(5):687-696.
  • Olivier JA, Meyer JP and Liebenberg L. Single-phase heat transfer and pressure drop inside smooth tubes for transitional flow with different inlet geometries (RP-1280). HVAC&R Research, Manuscript number RSCH-00195-2008, 22 March 2010.
  • Visagie MH, Mqoco TV, Liebenberg L, Mathews EH, Mathews GH, Joubert AM. Influence of partial and complete glutamine- and glucose deprivation of breast- and cervical tumorigenic cell lines. Cell & Bioscience, 2015;5(1):1-26.
  • Vosloo J, Liebenberg L, and Velleman D. Energy savings for water reticulation systems on deep mines. Applied Energy, 2012;92:328-335.

Articles in Conference Proceedings

Other Scholarly Activities

  • Fall 2020: invited to present inaugural CITL "lunchtime seminar", 5 November 2020: "Exciting students into learning", https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_etz9edwt

Teaching Honors

  • Alumni Effective Teaching Awards, "Two Year Award voted by the class of 2021". (Spring 2023)
  • Alumni Effective Teaching Awards, "Two Year Award voted by the class of 2020" (Spring 2022)
  • Rose Award for Teaching Excellence (Feb. 2021)

Recent Courses Taught

  • ENG 471 - Seminar Energy & Sustain Engrg
  • ENG 571 - Theory Energy & Sustain Engrg
  • ENG 573 - Capstone Project
  • ME 200 AL1 (ME 200 AL2) - Thermodynamics
  • ME 270 (TAM 270) - Design for Manufacturability
  • ME 310 AL1 - Fundamentals of Fluid Dynamics
  • ME 400 - Energy Conversion Systems
  • NPRE 480 (PS 480, GLBL 480) - Energy and Security
  • TAM 335 AL1 (TAM 335 AL2) - Introductory Fluid Mechanics

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