Join us as we celebrate the tradition of honoring distinguished faculty. On Wednesday, October 17, 2012, Leon Shaw will be invested with the Rowe Family Endowed Chair in Sustainable Energy. The ceremony will begin at 4 pm in the McCormick Tribune Campus Center’s McCloska Auditorium, with a reception to follow in the McCloska Ballroom.

Please RSVP by Friday, October 12, 2012, to Lauren Shelby at rsvpevents@iit.edu or 312.567.5030.

Shaw joined IIT from the University of Connecticut where he has been a member of the engineering faculty since 1995 and is currently a professor in the Department of Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering and head of NMR facilities of Biotechnology & Bioservices Center. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in materials science and engineering (‘92) from the University of Florida, and his M.Eng. in mechanical engineering (’87) and B.S. in materials engineering (‘80) from Fuzhou University, China.

Shaw brings with him a robust multidisciplinary portfolio of research projects and experience in sustainable energy. An accomplished educator, he is also an active recruiter and mentor of exceptional graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. He has a strong record of funding that includes industrial, foundation, and federal agencies along with clear success as a research collaborator and project leader.

Shaw is a leading researcher with worldwide recognition in nanomaterials synthesis and processing for structural and energy applications. In energy, his research interests focus on energy storage and conservation, ranging from hydrogen storage materials to supercapacitors, sodium-ion batteries, and solid oxide fuel cells. His research in nanomaterials has attracted worldwide attention and been featured in many magazines, including High Tech Ceramics News, Small Times Magazine, Chemical Engineering, Ceramic Industry, The Hydrogen Journal, Battelle Newsletter, and NSF Highlights. He has authored or co-authored more than 240 publications on nanomaterials for structural and energy applications, including three edited books, seven book chapters and 155 archival refereed journal articles.

Shaw’s enthusiasm for student education, mentorship and his passion for bringing innovative approaches to complex research challenges are an exciting addition to IIT Armour College of Engineering. His experience and leadership make him well positioned to bridge IIT research efforts with faculty in three of the five engineering departments at Armour College, as well as with IIT’s chemistry and physics departments.

Shaw is a fellow of ASM International and the World Academy of Materials and Manufacturing Engineering. He was also elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in 2006.

He serves on the editorial board and as guest editor for seven journals in multidisciplinary engineering fields and is widely published in science and engineering fields relating to materials, metallurgy, and sustainable energy.