Dr. Cadenhead retired in 2008 after 48 years of research on surfaces. These include the surfaces of catalysts, carbons, lunar (Apollo) materials as well as a wide range of biological membrane lipids. With regard to the latter the behavior of phospholipids and their interaction with cholesterol and the effects of chain branching with both polar and non-polar substitutes was examined. Other interests include the effects of local anesthetics on lipid packing. Currently he is consulting on the preparation and effects of pulmonary surfactants on neonatal lungs. He was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Senior US award in 1983 for his work with ultra-thin films.