Three Davidson School faculty receive Rising Star Professorships

Tayler Hebner, the Jay and Cynthia Ihlenfeld, has received the Rising Star Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering
Can Li, Charles and Nancy Davidson, has received the Rising Star Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering
David Bernal Neira, Mitchel Papanicolas, Family/Del Ray Glass Company, has received the Rising Star Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering
Three faculty members in Purdue University's Davidson School of Chemical Engineering have been approved by the provost to receive Rising Star Professorships, in recognition of their outstanding research accomplishments and emerging leadership in their fields.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Three faculty members in Purdue University's Davidson School of Chemical Engineering have been approved by the provost to receive Rising Star Professorships, in recognition of their outstanding research accomplishments and emerging leadership in their fields.

Tayler Hebner, Jay and Cynthia Ihlenfeld, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering. Hebner’s research focuses on using polymer chemistry, physics, and cell biology to design multifunctional, stimuli-responsive materials for soft robotics and musculoskeletal tissue engineering applications. She earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder, followed by a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Oregon's Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact.

David Bernal Neira, Mitchel Papanicolas Family/Del Ray Glass Company Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering. Bernal Neira's research applies mathematical and computational methods — including quantum computing — to large-scale optimization problems in process systems and energy engineering. He earned bachelor's degrees in chemical engineering and physics, as well as a master's degree in physics, from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to joining Purdue, he was an associate scientist at NASA's Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Universities Space Research Association.

Can Li, Charles and Nancy Davidson, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering. Li's research develops optimization and machine learning methods — including physics-informed deep learning and large language model-powered tools — for applications in energy, chemical and biological systems. He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Tsinghua University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Polytechnique Montréal.