Prof. Hsiao to Receive the 2024 Arthur B. Metzner Award

Professor Lilian Hsiao has been selected to receive the 2024 Arthur B. Metzner Early Career Award from the Society of Rheology.  This prestigious award is given to a young researcher who has distinguished themself in rheological research, rheological practice, or service to rheology. The award citation noted Prof. Hsiao’s research using in situ confocal rheometry to identify microscale structure-property relations of anisotropic colloids during shear flow, and for applying rheological and self-assembly principles to address knowledge gaps in the friction of soft materials, with immediate relevance to emerging technologies in haptic engineering.

Prof. Lilian Hsiao received her B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008), and her Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan (2014). Following the completion of her Ph.D., she worked as a chemical engineering postdoc at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2014-2016). She joined the CBE faculty in the fall of 2016 and was promoted to associate professor in fall 2023.

The Hsiao Lab research interests are in the areas of soft materials and complex fluids – specifically on the use of shaped colloids and functionalized polymer surfaces. The group combines microscopy and rheology experiments with models from materials science, chemical engineering, physics, and mechanical engineering to understand the mechanical properties of soft surfaces, and in particular, the roles of structure and dynamics. The work can be applied to many fields: understanding of nanoscale forces in non-spherical particulate systems, revealing the biomechanics of lubricated joints that make movement possible, and developing new types of materials with directional properties that are not found in nature. 

Congratulations Prof. Hsiao! Click this link to view her most recent publications.