Linda Sue Schadler is the Dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

. Her research investigates the mechanical, optical and electric behaviour of

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

composites. She is a Fellow of the

Materials Research Society The Materials Research Society (MRS) is a non-profit, professional organization for materials researchers, scientists and engineers. Established in 1973, MRS is a member-driven organization of approximately 14,000 materials researchers from academi ...

and ASM International.

Early life and education

Schadler grew up in

Niskayuna, New York Niskayuna is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 23,278 at the 2020 census. The town is located in the southeast part of the county, east of the city of Schenectady, and is the easternmost town in the county. ...

. Her father worked in

metallurgy Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the sc ...

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

and her mother was a biology professor at

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

. Schadler graduated top of her high school class. She studied materials science at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

and graduated in 1985. She moved to the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

for her doctoral research, working on the micromechanical behavior of fiber / polymer composites.

Research and career

After her PhD, Schadler was a

postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

at the

Thomas J. Watson Research Center The Thomas J. Watson Research Center is the headquarters for IBM Research. The center comprises three sites, with its main laboratory in Yorktown Heights, New York, U.S., 38 miles (61 km) north of New York City, Albany, New York and with ...

. Schadler was appointed to the faculty at

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...

in 1992. She moved to

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

in 1996, where she served on the faculty for twenty two years. In 2012 she was made Russell Sage Professor. Her research at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute included studies into polymer composites and other two-phase systems. She eventually became Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education. Schadler created a video called ''Molecules to the Max'', which introduces the general public to materials science. She created the beta classroom, an experimental space for novel teaching, as well as a seed fund for pedagogical innovation. In 2018 Schadler moved to the

, where she was made Dean of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences. She was awarded a $5 million grant to create a database of polymer nanocomposites and

metamaterials A metamaterial (from the Ancient Greek, Greek word Meta, μετά ''meta'', meaning "beyond" or "after", and the Latin word ''materia'', meaning "matter" or "material") is any material engineered to have a property that is not found in naturally ...

that will permit researchers to predict the properties of new materials. At Vermont Schadler looks to ensure scientists and engineers receive training in the humanities.

Awards and honours

* 1994

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

National Young Investigator * 1997

ASM International ASM International is a Dutch headquartered multinational corporation that specializes in design, manufacturing, sales and service of semiconductor wafer processing equipment for the fabrication of semiconductor devices. ASM's products are use ...

Bradley Staughton Award * 1998 ASM International Fellow * 2011 Elected trustee of the ASM International * 2016 Elected a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

* 2019 Appointed to the MRS Board of Directors

Selected publications

* * * *

Personal life

Schadler is married to Tom Feist, with whom she has two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schadler, Linda Living people Year of birth missing (living people) University of Pennsylvania alumni American materials scientists University of Vermont faculty Cornell University alumni