The College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Shikha Nangia as the Milton and Ann Stevenson Endowed Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Made possible by a gift from the late Milton and Ann Stevenson, this endowed professorship was established to support the teaching and research of biomedical and chemical engineering faculty.
Professor Nangia chairs the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering (BMCE) and is a leading expert in developing computational methods for studying biological interfaces. Her research spans from mapping the molecular architecture of the blood–brain barrier – critical for advancing treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases – to discovering new biomaterials that prevent infections associated with implantable medical devices, including hip and knee implants.
Over her career, Nangia has earned widespread recognition for her contributions to both scholarship and teaching. Her honors include the Chancellor’s Citation Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives, the Chancellor’s Citation for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction, the American Chemical Society (ACS) Women Chemists Committee’s Rising Star Award, the Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education, and the Meredith Teaching Recognition Award.
She received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2015 and continues to lead research funded by NSF and the National Institutes of Health. In addition to her academic leadership, Nangia serves as Associate Editor of ACS Applied Bio Materials, where she helps shape advances in biomaterials research worldwide.
Nangia excels at fostering collaborative learning environments and integrating different perspectives into her scholarship. She is affiliated with the BioInspired Institute, serves as faculty co-director of Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), and led the NIH-funded ESTEEMED program, which prepared undergraduate students for careers in Ph.D.-level biomedical research. Recently, Nangia was named a Syracuse University Art Museum Faculty Fellow. Through this fellowship, students in her ECS 326 Engineering Materials, Properties and Processing course will utilize AI tools to analyze museum artifacts.
Before joining SU as a faculty member in 2009, Nangia earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and completed postdoctoral research at Pennsylvania State University.
“Professor Nangia has excelled in all facets of her role at Syracuse University. She embodies the principle that excellence in research supports excellence in the classroom and vice versa,” says ECS Dean J. Cole Smith. “Her leadership has been impactful and timely in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. It is so rare, and so valuable, to have an energetic and talented faculty member who can truly do it all. She is eminently deserving of this professorship.”
This endowed professorship honors the legacy of Milton and Ann Stevenson, who met as students at SU and later founded Anoplate Corporation, a surface engineering and metal finishing company. The Stevensons were dedicated alumni supporters of the university; in addition to this endowment, both Milton and Ann served on SU’s Board of Trustees, and their generous support established the Stevenson Biomaterials Lecture Series.
“I am deeply honored to be named the Milton and Ann Stevenson Endowed Professor,” says Nangia. “This recognition affirms the impact of our research and teaching, but more importantly, it reflects the incredible students, colleagues, and collaborators who make this work possible. I am inspired by the Stevensons’ legacy of innovation and generosity, and I look forward to advancing discoveries that improve human health while training the next generation of engineers and scientists.”