Mechanical engineering graduate’s latest award reflects Auburn’s reputation as “Tribology U.”
Published: May 29, 2025 9:00 AM
By Jeremy Henderson
Jack Janik's career in the science of friction, wear and lubrication — tribology — didn't need any more traction. But the former Auburn mechanical engineering standout still just coasted to yet another kudo.
Janik, who earned his bachelor's ('23) and master's ('24) degrees in mechanical engineering at Auburn, along with a minor in tribology, recently received the Author Award from the National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) for presenting the best paper at the institute's annual meeting. The report, "Electrically Conductive Nanoparticle Additives for Greases Used in Electric Vehicles and Other Applications," is based on research he conducted as a graduate student through an NLGI Academic Outreach-Research Grant.
It's the latest in a long line of recognition that underscores both Janik's rising star status in the industry — he was recently profiled by the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association (ILMA) — and Auburn's growing reputation as "Tribology U.," as Janik put it — with good reason.
Janik's success is due in part to the dynamic academic and research environment within the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, typified by the Multiscale Tribology Lab. Housed within the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the lab supports the college's dedicated tribology program, including the research required as part of its unique undergraduate minor.
"While at Auburn, Jack earned the university's Master's Thesis Award and the prestigious Bob Jackson Award from the ILMA, which allowed him to fully focus on his research into the emerging area of rolling bearing degradation and failure due to stray electrical currents in electric vehicles," said lab director Rob Jackson, Janik's research advisor and Albert Smith Jr. Professor of mechanical engineering. "The Authors' Award is just another reflection of the effort that went into that really insightful research."
Jackson, a tribological thought leader who the NLGI honored in 2021 for "valuable work in the technical development of greases, grease tests or the promotion of grease usage," was recently selected as editor of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers's prestigious Journal of Tribology.
"Jack’s work was founded in experimental analysis, but he also used theory and existing literature to draw significant conclusions," Jackson said.
Jackson expects those conclusions, including thresholds for observed bearing damage and the use of novel nanoparticle-enhanced greases and lubricants to prevent it, will have a significant impact on the industry.
"As someone early in my career, recognition like the Authors' Award really reinforces that I’m in the right field," Janik said. "The education I received at Auburn, and the mentorship and encouragement I've received from NLGI members and the broader lubricants community, have been instrumental—not just in making that particular research project a success, but in helping shape who I’m becoming as an engineer."
Janik spoke about Auburn's role in introducing him to tribology in a 2023 episode of the #GINNing Podcast.
Media Contact: , jdh0123@auburn.edu, 3343190721
Jack Janik presented his graduate research, "Electrically Conductive Nanoparticle Additives for Greases Used in Electric Vehicles and Other Applications," at the 2024 National Lubricating Grease Institute's (NLGI) Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The NLGI awarded Janik its annual Author Award for "Best Paper."
