Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Four Illinois researchers receive Presidential Early Career Award

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Four researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were named recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers.

The winners this year are health and kinesiology professor Marni Boppartphysics professor Barry Bradlynchemical and biomolecular engineering professor Ying Diao and computer scienceprofessor Edgar Solomonik.

Professor Marni Boppart

Photo by Michelle Hassel

Boppart is the Saul J. Morse and Anne B. Morgan Professor in Applied Health Sciences and studies molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for the health benefits of exercise. This information is then used to develop novel cell- and pharmacological-based interventions that can prevent or treat loss of muscle mass and function with age. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Allen Distinguished Investigator Award, the Beckman Institute Vision and Spirit Award and the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the College of Applied Health Sciences. She is a fellow of the American Physiological Society and of the American College of Sports Medicine. Boppart also is affiliated with cell and developmental biology, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. 

Professor Barry Bradlyn

Photo by Fred Zwicky

Bradlyn studies theoretical condensed matter physics, specializing in topological phases of matter. His research centers on geometry and topology in solid-state systems, focusing on how we can use these mathematical tools to identify and understand new exotic quantum materials. He is an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellow and has been awarded an Air Force Young Investigator Award, an NSF Career Award and the McMillian Award.

Profesor Ying Diao, a woman with black hair.
Professor Ying Diao
Photo by Fred Zwicky

Diao’s research focuses on understanding the assembly of functional polymers and innovating printing approaches that enable structural control down to the molecular and nanoscale to enable next-generation electronics and greener energy. She has received many awards for her work. She was named to the list of Technology Review Innovators Under 35 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Chemistry, a NASA Early Career Faculty Award and the AIChE Allen P. Colburn Award for Excellence in Publications. Diao also is affiliated with chemistrymaterials science and engineering, the Beckman Institute and the Materials Research Laboratory at Illinois.

Professor Edgar Solomonik

Photo courtesy Edgar Solomonik

Solomonik studies the design of efficient algorithms for numerical problems, with a focus on tensor computations, a class of challenging calculations characterized by many parameters and unknown variables. Tensors provide a mathematical framework for solving complex and data-intensive problems prevalent in physics, chemistry and other scientific domains. Solomonik is the recipient of many awards, including The Grainger College of Engineering Dean’s Excellence in Research Award, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Supercomputing Early Career Prize, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Early Career Researchers Excellence Award in High Performance Computing. 

Read Next

Arts Photo of seven dancers onstage wearing blue tops and orange or yellow flowing skirts. The backdrop is a Persian design.

February Dance includes works experimenting with live music, technology and a ‘sneaker ballet’

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will present February Dance 2025: Fast Forward this week at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. February Dance will be one of the first performances in the newly renovated Colwell Playhouse Theatre since its reopening. The performances are Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Dance professor […]

Arts Black and white photo of a grand piano sitting in a room with a brick wall lit by the sun in the background.

Krannert Art Museum exhibition shows midcentury modern homes as places for artistic production

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Several Champaign-Urbana homes designed by local architects between the 1940s and 1990s were also made as settings for artistic performances and cultural conversations. An exhibition at Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign examines how four midcentury modern homes served as incubators for avant-garde culture in the community. “Making Place […]

Education Professor Rochelle Gutierrez standing outside the education building on campus.

U. of I. professor Rochelle Gutiérrez named to National Academy of Education

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Rochelle Gutiérrez, a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been elected to the National Academy of Education. Founded in 1965, NAE is an honorific society of U.S. members and international associates who are elected based on outstanding education-related scholarship. A professor of mathematics education, Gutiérrez has […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010