11/30/2022 Kristen Gisondi
MatSE assistant professor Antonia Statt is the recipient of the Computational Molecular Science & Engineering Forum (ComSEF) Young Investigator award, which recognizes outstanding computational molecular science and engineering research. Recipients must have completed their highest degree less than seven years prior. The Computational Molecular Science and Engineering Forum of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) awards only one researcher a year.
Written by Kristen Gisondi
Complexity intrigues Antonia Statt — especially when it involves solving problems for everyday materials. Years of studying soft materials and polymer interactions paid off when she received the Computational Molecular Science & Engineering Forum (ComSEF) Young Investigator award on Nov. 16 in Phoenix. However, she credits her research group for tackling molecular investigations together.
“It’s more of an overall recognition of the research that my group and I have done so far rather than an individual project. Collaboration is key,” said Statt, a materials science and engineering assistant professor.
The ComSEF Young Investigator Award recognizes outstanding computational molecular science and engineering research. Recipients must have completed their highest degree less than seven years prior. The Computational Molecular Science and Engineering Forum of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) awards only one researcher a year.
Statt and her student research group focus on soft materials and plastics, which are tremendously important for industry and daily life. These soft materials include condiments, paints and personal care toiletries.
Despite their wide use, soft materials' molecular makeup and dynamics are difficult to predict. The citation for the award, “For the development and application of innovative computational methods and models to understand polymer thin films, colloid-polymer systems, and disordered proteins,” highlights this complexity that involves finding clever ways to predict molecular behavior.
“Our research is very fundamental. Almost everything we use today has some level of plastic in it. We live in the plastic age, and it isn’t going away. Plastic makes our lives convenient and enables a higher standard of living. But we can investigate the way polymers behave and find ways to make products more recyclable or longer lasting,” Statt remarked.
Her team uses predictive computational design of functional materials, which can be more efficient and effective than experimental prototyping. They develop algorithms and programs to map the properties of molecules and then modify the features depending on how they behave.
Motivated by the complex challenges in energy, environment, and technology today, Statt brings together a diverse student research group. When there’s a wide range of skill sets, they achieve the best result, she explains. Her favorite part of mentorship is the “ah-ha!” moment when ideas click for her students.
“I really enjoy when we can see that “the sum is larger than its parts,” when thinking about a problem and collaborating with others,” Statt said.
Statt credits her colleagues, students and overall support from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for her success.
“Science is people. I firmly believe that most grand challenges of today related to human health, environmental pollution and climate change will be solved by large collaborations and many complementary solutions, not individual people,” Statt said.
As for her ComSEF Young Investigator award, she says sometimes scientists aren’t good at stopping and recognizing their accomplishments. But it still feels good to be recognized.
“It’s a tight-knit and small community, so winning is bittersweet, but I’m grateful and happy about being the recipient of the award,” Statt explained.