Chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Alexa Kuenstler is among six early-career professors who have been recognized by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences as Lincoln Excellence for Assistant Professors (LEAP) Scholars for their outstanding contributions and potential in research and teaching.
The LEAP award is granted to faculty early in their career based on scholarly productivity and contributions to the educational mission of their departments and the College of LAS. The selected LEAP Scholars will hold the title for two years and receive discretionary research funding for each of those two years.
Kuenstler joined the department in 2023, bringing with her a strong academic background in responsive polymeric systems and additive manufacturing of soft materials. Her research group, the Kuenstler Lab, focuses on research that lies at the interface of materials chemistry, polymer physics and additive manufacturing to address needs in energy, sustainability and human health.
The other recipients include Marianne Alleyne, entomology; K. Decker French, astronomy; Christopher Kempf, English; Rebecca Oh, English; and Gan Zhang, climate, meteorology, and atmospheric sciences.