Nancy R. Sottos

Class of 2021-2022

Department Head and holder, Maybelle Leland Swanlund Endowed Chair
Center for Advanced Study Professor
Materials Science and Engineering
The Grainger College of Engineering
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Inspired by autonomous function in biological systems, Nancy Sottos and her group develop polymers and composites capable of self-healing and regeneration, self-reporting,
and self-protection to improve reliability and extend material lifetime. She focuses on new bioinspired methods to manufacture these complex materials. She has received the ONR Young Investigator Award, Scientific American’s SciAm 50 Award, the M.M. Frocht and B.J. Lazan Awards from the Society for Experimental Mechanics, the IChemE Global Research Award, and the Society of Engineering Science Medal. Sottos is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the Society for Experimental Mechanics and the Society for Engineering Science.

Sottos will collaborate with faculty and students in the College of Engineering.