Professor Lilian Hsiao Receives AAAS Marion Milligan Mason Award

Professor Lilian Hsiao has been selected as one of five recipients of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2019 Marion Milligan Mason Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences.

First awarded in 2015 and funded by the Marion Milligan Mason Fund, the Award is designed to kickstart the research efforts of early-career women researchers in the chemical sciences. According to the AAAS, “The 2019 awardees have made extraordinary contributions through their research programs and demonstrate a commitment to move their fields forward.”

Professor Hsiao’s research interests are in the areas of soft materials and complex fluids ­– specifically on the use of shaped colloids and functionalized polymer surfaces. She specializes in using microscopy and rheology to identify the frameworks used to engineer the mechanical properties of soft surfaces. An article describing some of her research work can be accessed here.

Professor Hsiao received her B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan, both in chemical engineering.

The Mason Award was made possible by a $2.2 million bequest to AAAS by chemist and long-time AAAS member, Marion Tuttle Milligan Mason, who sought to support the advancement of women in the chemical sciences and to honor her family’s commitment to higher education for women. The Marion Milligan Mason Fund provides grants of $50,000 every other year to women researchers engaged in basic research in the chemical sciences. In addition to research funding, the program provides leadership development and mentoring opportunities.

The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society. Founded in 1848, the Society includes nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.

Portions of this article were extracted from similar articles appearing on the AAAS web site and the College of Engineering web site.