Liping Huang, professor of materials science and engineering, has been appointed associate dean for research and graduate programs for the School of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

“Liping comes into this important position with excellent research accomplishments in the areas of advanced materials and computational science and engineering, a wealth of experience as the graduate program director in materials science and engineering” said Shekhar Garde, dean of engineering. “Her focus on recruiting, mentoring, and professional development of graduate students, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion, will be invaluable in her new role. Her energy and ideas about growing multidisciplinary research aligned with the highest priorities of the Institute will help the school as we continue to elevate the quality, visibility, and reputation of the School of Engineering.”

Her research is at the interface of two important Rensselaer signature research thrust areas—advanced materials, and computational science and engineering. Specifically, she focuses on structure-property relationships in amorphous and nano-crystalline materials with the goal of rationally designing materials with superior properties to enable technologies in energy, telecommunication, and health-care areas. Her research team is collaborating with Corning Inc. to make glass stronger and more flexible for cell phones, televisions, and solar panels, among other applications.

Huang has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers, many in top journals (including Nature Materials, Scientific Reports, Physical Review Letters, Small, Acta Materialia, and Applied Physics Letters). She has won numerous prestigious awards, including the NSF CAREER Award, the DTRA Young Investigator Award, the 2013 Alfred H. Geisler Memorial Award (from the Eastern New York Chapter of ASM), and the inaugural Gordon S. Fulcher Distinguished Scholar award from Corning Inc. Her national and international leadership and visibility is also reflected in over 60 invited presentations at national and international conferences, national laboratories, industry, and universities.

Huang received her B.E. and M.S. degrees in materials science and engineering from Zhejiang University and a Ph.D. degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She joined Rensselaer as an assistant professor in 2008 and was promoted to associate professor in 2014, and to full professor in 2018.