Dr. Donald L. Katz was an American chemist and chemical engineer. The 1983 National Medal of Science was presented to Katz by President Ronald Reagan "for solving many practical engineering problems by delving into a wide group of sciences and making their synergistic effects evident." Dr. Katz was an inspiring teacher, outstanding leader, and imaginative investigator in the field of Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Technology. He was born on August 1, 1907 in Waterloo Township, Michigan, United States. Professor Katz attended the University of Michigan, earning B.S. (1927), M.S. (1932), and Ph.D. (1933) degrees in chemical engineering: he completed his doctorate under the direction of G.G. Brown.

He also served some 60 industrial and governmental organizations as a consulting engineer during his professional life. Professor Katz's extraordinary accomplishments in petroleum engineering, reservoir engineering, underground gas storage, heat transfer, and phase behavior resulted in publication of nearly 300 papers, ten books, nine monographs, and nine patents.