Dr. Greenfield was a metallurgist at the Naval Air Experimental Station and a senior research metallurgist at the Franklin Institute Laboratories for Research and Development in Philadelphia before joining the UD faculty in 1963, as an assistant professor, specializing in metals and crystallography. He was promoted to associate professor in 1965 and full professor in 1968.
Dr. Greenfield was named acting dean of the College of Engineering in 1973 and the next year became dean, a post he held for 10 years.
Under his leadership, the College of Engineering achieved several milestones. Three important nationally recognized research centers were established: the Materials Durability Center, the Center for Catalytic Science and Technology and the Center for Composite Materials. Spencer Laboratory and the Ocean Research Laboratory were built, and Evans Hall was renovated. Undergraduate enrollment in the college increased from 800 to 1,300 students, and graduate enrollment doubled, while research expenditures reached a new high. He also was active in encouraging the enrollment of women and minorities in engineering.
