URBANA, Ill. — Five MatSE faculty, including Qian Chen, Axel Hoffmann, Pinshane Huang, Cecilia Leal and Daniel Shoemaker, were recognized at the Engineering Investiture Ceremony held Monday, Dec. 12, at the Beckman Institute.

Honoring these top-notch faculty for their academic achievements were Rashid Bashir, The Grainger College of Engineering dean; Reitumetse Mabokela, Reitumetse Mabokela, Vice Provost for International Affairs and Global Strategies; and Nancy Sottos, MatSE’s department head, Swanlund Endowed Chair and Center for Advanced Study Professor.

For Bashir, the honorees’ research in microelectronic materials, magnetic materials, imaging at the nanoscale and much more is making a huge impact in the world and in the lives of students.

“We’re supercharging in every which way that’s possible,” Bashir added. “The quality and the impact of the work that is being shown today is demonstrated by the individuals that are being honored here.”

The endowed professorship and supporting faculty scholarships were provided by The Grainger Foundation and the estate of alumnus Ivan Racheff, respectively. Both directly support the university in retaining renowned faculty.

“(They’re) investing in cutting-edge research and sustaining transformational teaching,” Mabokela said.

All look forward to each of the honorees’ continued successes.

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Axel Hoffmann

Hoffmann has been invested as the Founder Professor in Materials Science and Engineering. His friend and colleague David Cahill, Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering, highlighted this achievements, coining Hoffmann a “pioneer” in advancing the energy efficiency of information storage.

“You are highly deserving of this appointment,” Cahill said, “and we look forward to your many future accomplishments.”

Prior to joining MatSE’s faculty, Hoffmann was a materials scientist and Argonnne National Laboratory’s Materials Science division. Years later he landed an opportunity to join the ranks of the materials science and engineering faculty at the University of Illinois, and it’s a decision he’ll never regret.

Now Hoffmann enjoys each day in his lab at the Materials Research Lab, where he and his group get to “play” with magnets.

“It was really the right decision,” Hoffmann said. “I’m pleased to have so many great colleagues and work at such a vibrant place.”

Qian Chen

Chen, along with Huang, Leal and Shoemaker, was recognized as an Ivan Racheff Faculty Scholar. Ken Schweizer, MatSE’s Morris Professor, proudly gave nod to Chen, who happens to be his former graduate student.

“Under her quiet and humble demeaner is a burning passion for science and a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature,” Schwiezer said. “She is fearless in attacking difficult problems and unafraid to take changes.”

Chen immediately gave all the glory to her “community of role models” — a term she coined nearly a decade ago during her faculty job interview when asked about her role model.

“I said, ‘I do not have a role model. Everyone’s different. Everyone deserves their own trajectory,’” Chen said. “And that stays as my principle as I interact with my colleagues, my collaborators and my group. But in an interesting way, because everyone is so different, it’s evolved into a community of role models for me. I’ve learned so much from everyone.”

Pinshane Huang

Huang’s recognition as an Ivan Racheff Faculty Scholar was even more special as she was acknowledged by Arend van der Zande, a mechanical science and engineering’s associate professor and her partner.

van der Zande’s first impression of Huang was that she was “larger than life.”

“I don’t mean that figuratively,” van der Zande joked. “She was on a billboard outside my building (that was) eight feet tall for the new interdisciplinary physical science building on campus.”

When the two met and began collaborating on a graduate student’s project nearly a year later, Huang embodied this “larger-than-life personality.”

“She puts forward this thoughtful pride and intellectual might and is engaged and brings enthusiasm in all of her interactions,” van der Zande added.

Huang likened her success to that of a well-tended plant, crediting UIUC as her fertile environment and source of strength.

“It’s such a privilege to work with and learn from you guys,” said Huang, addressing her students, post-doctoral researchers and research group. “You’re incredible scientists and incredible people who have given me one of the greatest gifts you can give, as a scientist, which is to bring their ideas to life and start projects that I never could have conceived of.”

Huang also credited her “network of wonderful collaborators” for her success and her institutional support from the department and The Grainger College of Engineering.

“Thank you for giving me the space and energy that I needed to grow,” Huang said.

Cecilia Leal

Leal has been a “trailblazer” from day one, according to Cahill, who recognized the associate professor’s achievement of becoming an Ivan Racheff Faculty Scholar.

Leal was one of his first faculty hires as department head, and he was immediately impressed with her “unique” interdisciplinary knowledge and intelligence.

Now Leal stands at the forefront of developing hybrid biological and synthetic materials that may help in various applications — from drugs, gene-delivering, biosensing and even the creation of artificial cells.

“Cecilia has established really bold and creative research in a direction that harnesses the physics and chemistry of the materials to impart biological functions,” Cahill said. “Her work emphasizes the design of the materials on nanometer-length scales and enables materials to deliver drugs and modify the behavior of cells.”

Leal is “humbled” and “honored” to be among MatSE’s faculty ranks. She used this moment in the spotlight to reflect on how she get here.

“It’s because of people like David Cahill, Paul Braun and Ken Schweizer that took a chance on me, even if I didn’t have a standard path or pedigree and continue to support me to this day to be a better scientist,” Leal said.

Leal also credited her collaborators, students, teaching mentors and staff for the answer to her how and thanked her friends and family for “giving meaning” to her very existence.

Daniel Shoemaker

Shoemaker’s achievement of being named an Ivan Racheff Faculty Scholar was acknowledged by André Schleife, an assistant professor, who happened to join MatSE’s department in 2014 alongside Shoemaker. The two quickly became friends and frequent collaborators.

Schleife has come to admire Shoemakers’ top-notch materials characterization techniques.

“We have materials right now that would not exist without (his) work.” Schleife said. “He invents recipes, procedures and techniques to arrange atoms in ways that would not happen naturally.”

Shoemaker’s materials efforts impact various applications — from electronic materials, superconductors, quantum information, magnetic materials and much more.

For Shoemaker, he finds his day-to-day work of guiding graduate students in their academic journey to be a real “privilege” and a big responsibility.

“Getting to work with the graduate students in my group is what keeps me coming in every day,” Shoemaker said. “You (MatSE graduate students) come up with awesome ideas and weird stuff, and I think that’s why we do what we do.”

“I’m constantly just impressed by your intellect and ambition,” Shoemaker added.

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Congratulations to each of the invested faculty and all of those who continue attributing to their success with great support.