COMPASS is proud to announce that Professor Qian Chen, Racheff Faculty Scholar in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has received the 2025 Langmuir Lectureship from the American Chemical Society (ACS). This prestigious award is one of the highest honors given by the ACS Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry and recognizes exceptional research in the field.
Chen is being recognized for her groundbreaking contributions to transforming electron microscopy into a powerful tool for studying the self-assembly, interaction, and manufacturing of colloidal nanoparticles — insights that are central to the development of new nanomaterials for applications in catalysis, energy storage, and advanced manufacturing.
As only the second Illinois MSE faculty member to earn this honor — following her Ph.D. advisor Professor Steve Granick — Chen joins an elite group of researchers whose work continues to shape the direction of nanoscale science. The lectureship honors the legacy of Irving Langmuir, Nobel Laureate and pioneer in surface chemistry.
This award underscores the impact of COMPASS research in nanoscale materials and continues Illinois Grainger Engineering’s legacy of excellence in surface and colloid chemistry.