Chemical and biomolecular engineering alum Susan Daniel '99 '01G '05 PhD has been named director of the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) at Cornell University, effective July 1, 2021.
She was also elected as the Fred H. Rhodes Professor of Chemical Engineering by the Cornell Board of Trustees in recognition of “exceptional contributions in research, teaching, and service.”
Daniel, who was advised by Franklin J. Howes Jr. Distinguished Professor Manoj K. Chaudhury during her graduate studies in the Rossin College, joined Cornell in 2007 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 2020.
She is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has received numerous recognitions from Cornell, including the Schwartz Life Science Award and Research Excellence Award. She served as director of graduate studies in the Smith School and is an award-winning faculty advisor for its Graduate Women’s Group.
According to announcement made by Cornell Engineering Dean Lynden Archer:
“Susan is known internationally for her work on interfacial dynamics and biophysics of bilayer membranes. Her group pioneered the use of cell-free bio-membrane platforms for creating cellular processes on a chip, with realistic molecular and biological complexity. The work finds application in studies of biophysical properties of cell membranes in a broad range of cell types — mammalian, plants, bacteria, and viruses. Most recently, her work has been used to elucidate infection mechanisms and associated therapeutic response of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.”
Daniel continues to contribute to the Rossin College through her service on the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Advisory Council.
“Susan’s enthusiasm and genuine love for science had very positive effects on the rest of the group,” says Chaudhury, reflecting on Daniel’s time as a member of his lab. Daniel’s research caught the attention of Nobel Laureate Pierre Gilles de Gennes, and, jointly, the three researchers published a seminal paper on droplet-based microfluidics.
Chaudhury praises Daniel’s efforts in combining the principles of chemical engineering, biophysics, and molecular biology to develop and advance a new research field, which he characterizes as “analytical virology.”
“Her success makes our Lehigh community proud,” he says.
