Dr. Anna Balazs Named Materials Research Society Fellow
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Anna Balazs, PhD, has 
been named a Fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS). Per the MRS, “The title of MRS Fellow honors those MRS members who are notable for their distinguished research accomplishments and their outstanding contributions to the advancement of materials research, world-wide. The maximum number of new Fellow appointments each year is limited to 0.2% of the current MRS membership. The distinction is thus highly selective.” Dr. Balazs will be recognized at the 2014 MRS Spring Meeting in San Francisco, California.
Dr. Anna Balazs is a Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and the Robert v. d. Luft Professor, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor in Pitt’s Department of Chemistry.
Dr. Balazs received a MS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and went on to earn her PhD from the same university. Her postdoctoral research was completed at Brandeis University, MIT, and the University of Massachusetts. She has also held the position of visiting professor at the Scripps Research Institute in Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, and Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
The research interests of Dr. Balazs center on statistical, mechanical, and computer modeling of complex chemical systems and developing theories for the properties of polymer blends and the behavior of polymers at surfaces and interfaces. Specifically, her ongoing projects involve:
- Predicting the phase behavior of polymer/clay nanocomposites
- Determining the kinetic behavior of binary mixtures containing solid particles
- Designing polymeric inhibitors to prevent cell-virus contact
- Tailoring the interactions between polymer-coated colloids
- Promoting adhesion at polymeric interfaces
- Designing patterned polymer films
- Investigating the tribological behavior of polymer interfaces
For her research achievements, Dr. Balazs has received much recognition. Two of her most recent awards include the Mines Medal, South Dakota School of Mines (2013), and Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (2010).
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