Rice University’s Matteo Pasquali has been elected a fellow of The Society of Rheology (SoR).
SoR is the world’s leading organization of rheology, the branch of physics that studies the flow and deformation of matter. The society has over 1,400 members with only 0.5% elected as fellows in any given year. Pasquali was recognized for outstanding research contributions and his track record in educating young rheologists and building a strong soft matter cluster at Rice.
Pasquali is the A.J. Hartsook Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and a professor of chemistry and materials science and nanoengineering. He joined Rice’s faculty in 2000 and has served the university in various capacities, including magister of Lovett College and chair of the Department of Chemistry.
Pasquali directs the cf2 group (complex flows of complex fluids), which studies fundamental physical and chemical processes underlying continuous-flow manufacturing of complex, advanced materials. His research lies at the intersection of soft matter physics, chemical engineering, chemistry and materials science. Based on fundamental science, Pasquali’s group developed new carbon materials and scalable manufacturing methods. His group also discovered new liquid crystalline phases of nanomaterials and made fundamental contributions to the rheology of polymers, emulsions (including mayonnaise) and blood.
“All of these accomplishments are really the work of my students and postdocs,” Pasquali said. “At most, I can take credit for nurturing their passion for research and discovery and for enabling them to succeed.”
In 2000, Rice had not yet developed a specific focus or shared facilities in rheology, and Pasquali established a rheological characterization facility, which is now part of the Rice Shared Equipment Authority. He also designed a graduate rheology course that includes hands-on training on complex fluids of students’ interest. This class has been taken by students from Rice, University of Houston, various Texas Medical Center Institutions and local industry.
“Matteo’s election as a fellow of The Society of Rheology is a richly deserved honor that reflects both his pioneering research and his exceptional leadership in the field,” said Sibani Lisa Biswal, senior associate dean of engineering and computing and the William M. McCardell Professor in Chemical Engineering at Rice. “Today, several faculty across engineering and science at Rice use rheology to characterize advanced materials — a testament to the foundation Matteo helped build. Rice’s strength in rheology is a direct result of his sustained commitment to excellence, collaboration and the education of the next generation of scientists.”
Pasquali also founded and directs the Carbon Hub, a coalition of universities and corporations leading the materials and energy transition by developing sustainable carbon materials that can displace carbon dioxide-intensive metals and construction materials and are co-produced with hydrogen. The Carbon Hub is funded by corporations pursuing industrial decarbonization throughout supply chains from energy to advanced materials and electrical conductors and by the first Kavli Foundation Exploration Award in Nanoscience for Sustainability.
Pasquali was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018 and the American Physical Society in 2016. His previous awards and honors include the Rice Presidential Award for Mentoring, the Goradia Innovation Grand Prize, the Paul Schlack Prize and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
Pasquali will be formally inducted as a fellow at SoR’s annual meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Oct. 19-23. Pasquali is the first Rice faculty member to be elected to SoR fellowship.