Chinedum Osuji, the Eduardo D. Glandt Presidential Professor and chair of the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Penn Engineering, has been awarded a 2021 Intel Outstanding Researcher Award (ORA) for his project titled “Patterning at Nano-Length Scales by Directed Assembly.”

Intel Labs, the interdisciplinary branch of Intel Corporation that presents the award, is a global research organization committed to discovering and developing new technologies and computing forms to unleash the exponential power of data. The annual award program recognizes the exceptional contributions made through Intel university-sponsored research in areas such as secure computing technologies, novel sensing technologies, machine programming, artificial intelligence, and many more.

Dr. Osuji’s research focuses on understanding and controlling the structure and dynamics of the soft materials and complex fluids that are ubiquitous in natural and synthetic systems. He is also the recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, the Office of Naval Research’s Young Investigator Award, and the American Physical Society Dillon Medal.

“This project focuses on patterning at sub-10 nm length scales by synergizing the concept of block-copolymer-based bottom-up self-assembly with novel liquid-crystal molecular chemistry,” stated the award citation. “This research will enable a new class of novel materials that could play a key role in continued scaling of device structures.”

Dr. Osuji is one of 17 academic researchers from around the globe to receive a 2021 Intel ORA. Intel’s ORAs are part of its Corporate Research Council, which participates in research initiatives with prominent university science and technology centers, the National Science Foundation, ecosystem partners, and the Semiconductor Research Corporation.