Tayler Hebner, incoming Davidson School of Chemical Engineering Assistant Professor, has received the Glenn H. Brown Prize from the International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS). This award is bestowed on doctoral graduates whose thesis work, published in the last two calendar years, has made substantial contributions to liquid crystal science. As a 2024 awardee, Hebner has been invited to give a presentation in a Special Awards Session at the International Liquid Crystal Conference. In addition, her research will be featured in Liquid Crystals Today, ILCS’ newsletter. 

Hebner's PhD research focuses on liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs), materials that combine liquid crystalline properties with elastic polymer properties. These materials change shape in response to stimuli, making them useful in artificial muscles, soft robotics, tissue engineering and medical devices. 

Through her work, she produced findings on fundamental characterization of liquid crystalline phase behavior and polymer network properties and leveraged complex programming of the response to light or heat in LCEs.  

"This award is very meaningful to me, as it is a reflection of not only my thesis work but the mentorship of my PhD advisors, Prof. Timothy White and Prof. Christopher Bowman, who encouraged me to explore challenging and impactful problems," shared Hebner. "My thesis work being recognized by this award is also a reflection of the mentorship of the community that I’ve grown to be part of through engaging in this research and the work we have pursued together, which has become much more impactful than anything I could have done alone."  

With her Purdue lab group, Hebner plans to expand the technical topics explored in her PhD dissertation.