Deborah Chung

Deborah Chung is the SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Buffalo. She has been on the faculty since 1986, and served as the founding director of the Composite Materials Research Laboratory and as the Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. Endowed Chair Professor from 1991-2008.

Chung specializes in materials science and engineering, particularly smart materials; multifunctional structural materials, concrete; thermal management; battery electrode materials; carbon fibers and nanofibers; composite materials and their interfaces;, electronic packaging materials; electromagnetic interference shielding materials; and vibration damping materials.

She is a prolific scholar with over 600 peer-reviewed journal publications. According to the 2022 ranking from Stanford University that examined 315,721 researchers (living and deceased) in the field of materials research, Chung is ranked No. 13, No. 10 among those that are living, and No. 1 among females. The books that she has authored include Functional Materials, Carbon Materials, and Composite Materials. Due to her interest in inspiring young people to pursue science careers, she is the editor of the book series The Road to Scientific Success: Inspiring Life Stories of Prominent Researchers.

Chung earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Applied Science, and a Master of Science in Engineering Science, both from the California Institute of Technology, more commonly known as Caltech, where she was the university’s first female engineering graduate. She earned a PhD degree in Materials Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the tutelage of the late Professor Millie Dresselhaus.