Sibani Lisa Biswal is an American chemical engineer, materials scientist, and academic administrator who researches the physics of

colloids A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a liquid, while others exten ...

surfactants Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension or interfacial tension between two liquids, a liquid and a gas, or a liquid and a solid. The word ''surfactant'' is a blend of "surface-active agent", coined in 1950. As t ...

lipids Lipids are a broad group of organic compounds which include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins Vitamin A, A, Vitamin D, D, Vitamin E, E and Vitamin K, K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The fu ...

, and polymers. She is the William M. McCardell professor in chemical engineering with a dual appointment as professor in materials science and nanoengineering as well as a senior associate dean in the George R. Brown School of Engineering at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

Education and career

Biswal earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

in 1999. She received a M.S. (2001) and Ph.D. (2004) in chemical engineering from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

working with doctoral advisor

Alice Gast Alice Petry Gast (born May 25, 1958) is an American researcher, was the 16th president of Imperial College London, and sits on the board of directors of Chevron. Gast was named one of the top 100 "Modern Era" engineers in the US under the cate ...

. Her dissertation was titled, ''Exploring Novel Structure Formation and Mechanics of Linked Chains of Magnetic Colloidal Particles and their Application in Microfluidics''. Biswal completed postdoctoral research in mechanical engineering at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

from 2004 to 2006. Biswal researches the physics of

, lipids, and polymers. She joined the faculty at

in 2006. Biswal was named to the William M. McCardell Professor in Chemical Engineering in 2020. The following year, she was named an associate dean in the George R. Brown School of Engineering.

Awards and recognition

In 2007, Biswal was awarded a Young Investigator Award by the Office of Naval Research. In 2009, she won a National Science Foundation's CAREER award. In 2023, she was elected a fellow of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

after nomination by the society's Division of Soft Matter. The fellowship was awarded " r fundamental contributions to understanding of the assembly of superparamagnetic colloids in magnetic fields, discovering mechanisms governing multiphase flows in porous media, characterizing molecular transport in lipid membranes, and developing porous silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biswal, Sibani Lisa Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) California Institute of Technology alumni Stanford University School of Engineering alumni Rice University faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society American chemical engineers American women chemical engineers American materials scientists Women materials scientists and engineers 21st-century American women engineers 21st-century American engineers American academic administrators American women academic administrators