Dr. Sharmila M. Mukhopadhyay is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of Maine and Director of the Frontier Institute for Research in Sensor Materials (FIRST). She obtained her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Indian Institute of Technology and Ph.D. from Cornell University. She is a former Jefferson Science Fellow at the National Academies, where she was senior Scientific Advisor to the Department of State. She is a recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, and an elected Fellow of the American Ceramic Society.
Dr. Mukhopadhyay’s academic focus has been at the crossroads of nanotechnology and nano-bio-sciences. Current significant research involves design and fabrication of novel, reusable and ecofriendly bio-mimetic hierarchical structures that combine the benefits of nanomaterials with robustness and reusability of larger solids. These materials have, to date, resulted in the development of new catalysts, sensors, energy storage materials, antibacterial surfaces, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Her work has been featured in several media releases, such as the Homeland Security News Wire, AzoNano, PhysOrg, Dayton Daily News, Ceramic Bulletin and Dayton Business Journal. She has published over a hundred papers, books, chapters and reports. Additionally, she has obtained and directed over forty-five research grants from a wide variety of federal and state sponsors, such as NSF, DOE, AFOSR, AFRL, NASA, EPA, and OBOR, as well as industrial sponsors, such as P&G. Dr. Mukhopadhyay has organized several national and international symposia, and serves on editorial boards of journals, review panels of funding agencies, and executive committees of professional societies.