In Memory of Distinguished Professor Emeritus Ning Pan

Ning Pan, a Distinguished Professor emeritus of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of California, Davis, died on Sept. 7, 2025.  

He will be remembered as a brilliant scholar, a visionary innovator and an effective educator whose legacy will inspire generations to come. 

Pan was born in the city of Xining in China on March 5, 1953. In 1985, he became the first individual in China to earn a Ph.D. in textile science and engineering. His dissertation is displayed at a textile museum in Shanghai.  

He joined the faculty of UC Davis in 1990 and retired in 2021.  

Pan was internationally recognized for his research, which advanced the physics and engineering of fibrous materials, the biophysics of human–fabric interaction and applications of nanotechnology in energy storage.  

Among his many achievements, he developed the PhabrOmeter, a groundbreaking device that objectively measures fabric drape, wrinkle resistance and tactile qualities. It is now the U.S. standard for fabric hand evaluation. A copy of the device is in Pan’s former lab in Everson Hall on the UC Davis campus. 

“Professor Pan was deeply respected as a teacher, mentor and colleague, guiding generations of students with dedication and kindness,” said Fadi Fathallah, chair of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. “His scientific achievements and personal impact will continue to influence the field for years to come.” 

Pan authored more than 200 scholarly papers and was elected as a Fellow of the Textile Institute, the American Society of Mechanical Engineer and the American Physical Society. His honors included the NASA Tech Briefs Nano 50 Award and an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Liberec in the Czech Republic. 

Pan is survived by his wife, Hualin Huang, and his daughter, Katherine Pan.