Two engineering faculty named Swanlund Chairs

Two Engineering at Illinois faculty members--Thomas Huang, electrical and computer engineering and John Rogers, materials science and engineering--are among the five University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign faculty to be named Swanlund Chairs, the highest endowed titles on the Urbana campus.

“I congratulate our five new Swanlund Chairs,” said Phyllis M. Wise, the chancellor of the Urbana campus. “Their contributions in teaching, discovery and engagement continue to push the boundaries of what we know and how we use that knowledge to make a better world. The global reputation for excellence enjoyed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is apparent in the work and dedication of our faculty, students and staff. These five distinguished members of our faculty raise the expectations and the aspirations of all of us in the Illinois family.”

Huang has spent his career making major contributions to human-centered computing in general and to image processing/computer vision in particular. His work has enabled modern computing to evolve to its current state and will enable its continued evolution. Because of this work, there are now a seemingly endless number of ways to capture, store and share images. He has contributed more than anyone else to the technical underpinning of current international fax, image and video-compression standards. Huang was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2001 and has won numerous national and international awards.

Rogers’ groundbreaking research on flexible formats for electronic devices has transformed the way the world thinks about electronics manufacturing, devices for solar-energy conversion, and the interfaces between electronics and biology. His research includes fundamental and applied aspects of nano and molecular scale fabrication as well as materials and patterning techniques for unusual electronic and photonic devices, with an emphasis on bio-integrated and bio-inspired systems. Two major start-up companies have evolved from his work (MC10 and Semprius). A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Rogers was named a MacArthur Fellow (2009), won the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2011, and was chosen by Nature magazine as one of “Ten People Who Mattered in 2012.” He is the author of more than 350 journal articles and currently serves as the director of the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at Illinois.

This year’s five new chairs join 10 other scholars who are current Swanlund Chairs. In addtion to Huang and Rogers, this year's new Swanlund Chairs include Eric Freyfogle (law), Sharon Hammes-Schiffer (Chemistry), and Stephen Sligar (Biochemistry). Other current Swanlund Endowed Chairs in the College of Engineering include: Tamer Başar (ECE), and Nigel Goldenfeld, Laura Greene, and Klaus Schulten, (Physics).

The program was made possible by a gift from alumna Maybelle Leland Swanlund. 

Swanlund, who received a degree in library studies from Illinois in 1932 and who died in 1993, provided a $12 million endowment for chairs to attract leaders in the arts and sciences at the university and recognize current faculty members who have made exceptional contributions in their fields. The awards are for five years and may be renewed.
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Writer: Jeff Unger, University of Illinois News Bureau, 217/333-1085.

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.