Lewis elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Jennifer A. Lewis, the Hans Thurnauer Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, is one of two University of Illinois professors recently named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS).

Through her own work, and in collaboration with researchers in a variety of disciplines, Lewis has made pioneering contributions to the directed assembly of soft functional materials. Her research focuses on engineering the flow behavior and structure of soft matter composed of colloidal, polymeric, and molecular building blocks where she applies her expertise to the design of functional inks for planar and three-dimensional printing. Recently she and her research group have produced highly conductive electrode inks for printed electronic and solar devices, scaffolds for tissue engineering, and lightweight structural materials.

Lewis also serves as the director of the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at Illinois, one of the premier interdisciplinary research facilities in the nation. She joined the Illinois faculty in 1990, where she also is affiliated with the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. She has written more than 100 published papers and holds eight patents. Among many other honors, she has been named a fellow of the Materials Research Society, the American Physical Society, and the American Ceramic Society.

Edward Diener, the Joseph R. Smiley Distinguished Professor of Psychology, was recognized by AAAS for his pioneering contributions to psychological science. Now an emeritus professor of psychology at Illinois and a senior scientist with the Gallup organization, Diener joined the faculty in 1974. Much of his career has been devoted to measuring well-being and understanding the cultural, personality and economic factors that influence it.

“The election of professors Diener and Lewis highlights their extraordinary contributions in scholarship and leadership,” said Phyllis M. Wise, the chancellor of the Urbana-Champaign campus. “They are world leaders in behavioral science and materials research, adding their legacies to the tradition of excellence at Illinois. We are proud to have them recognized among such distinguished company.”

The academy, founded in 1780, is one of the oldest honorary societies in the nation. Fellowship honors outstanding leadership and scholarship in a variety of fields. New members join the ranks of Albert Einstein, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and other influential Americans. Lewis and Diener were among 220 new members elected this year.

The American Academy for Arts and Sciences has more than 4,000 fellows and 600 foreign honorary members, including more than 250 Nobel laureates and 60 Pulitzer Prize winners.
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Contact: Jennifer Lewis, Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, 217/244-4973.  

Writer: Liz Ahlberg, physical sciences editor, U of I News Bureau, 217/244-1073.

Photo: L. Brian Stauffer

If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz,, editor, Engineering Communications Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-7716.