Anna Balazs

Balalzs was born to Holocaust survivors in Hungary.{{Cite web|title=After the Lecture: Anna Balazs|url=https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=135585|access-date=2021-03-14|website=www.nsf.gov| date=2 July 2015 |language=English}} She was inspired by her father who was a veterinarian to go into science. Balazs received her B.A. degree with honors in Physics from Bryn Mawr College in 1975. She received her master's and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA in 1981. During her Ph.D. she worked with George M. Whitesides, K.H. Johnson, and Robert Silbey. After her Ph.D., she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Brandeis University (1981-1983) in the Chemistry Department with Irving Epstein. She became a research associate at the University of Massachusetts (1984-1986) in the Polymer Science and Engineering Department with Frank Karasz, William MacKnight, and Isaac Sanchez.

In 1987 she moved to the University of Pittsburgh where she became an Assistant Professor (1987-1992), an Associate Professor (1992-1999), and Bicentennial Engineering Alumni Faculty Fellow.Balazs research uses theoretical and computational modeling of the thermodynamic and kinetic behavior of polymer blends and composites.{{Cite web|title=Prof Anna Christina Balazs|url=https://www.azonano.com/experts.aspx?iExpertID=143|access-date=2021-03-14|website=AZoNano.com|language=en}} She has worked on developing models to design regenerating polymer gels.{{Cite web|title=Polymer gel, heal thyself: Engineering team proposes new composites that can regenerate when damaged|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131126124123.htm|access-date=2021-03-14|website=ScienceDaily|language=en}} She is the Principal Investigator of the NSF Center for Chemo-Mechanical Assembly (CCMA), established through the National Science Foundation Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program.{{cite web|title=NSF Center for Chemo-Mechanical Assembly|url=http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/News/2017/Anna-Balazs-NSF-CCMA|website=Swanson School of Engineering}}{{cite web|title=NSF Center for Chemo-Mechanical Assembly|url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1740630&HistoricalAwards=false|website=National Science Foundation|accessdate=13 April 2018}} She has held the position of visiting professor at Scripps Research Institute in Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, and Oxford University in the UK.

She was the Chair of the American Physical Society Division of Polymer Physics in 1999-2000.{{Cite web|title=Frontiers in Nanotechnology Seminar Series - Anna Balazs {{!}} International Institute for Nanotechnology|url=https://www.iinano.org/frontiers-in-nanotechnology-seminar-series-anna-balazs|access-date=2021-03-14|website=www.iinano.org}} She has also served on the editorial board of Macromolecules,  Langmuir, Accounts of Chemical Research, Science Advances, and Soft Matter.

• Member of the National Academy of Engineering
• Member of the National Academy of Sciences{{cite web |last1=Galvin |first1=Molly |title=National Academy of Sciences Elects New Members — Including a Record Number of Women — and International Members |url=http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/2021-nas-election.html |website=www.nasonline.org |publisher=National Academy of Sciences |access-date=9 February 2022}}
• Fellow of the American Physical Society,{{cite web|title=APS Fellow Archive|url=https://www.aps.org/programs/honors/fellowships/archive-all.cfm?initial=&year=1993&unit_id=&institution=University+of+Pittsburgh|website=American Physical Society|accessdate=13 April 2018}}
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry
• Fellow of the Materials Research Society,{{cite web|title=Materials Research Society|url=http://www.mrs.org/mrs-fellows-2014|accessdate=13 April 2018}}
• 2016 American Physical Society Polymer Physics Prize
• 2015 Royal Society of Chemistry S F Boys-A Rahman Award{{cite web|title=S F Boys-A Rahman Award 2015 Winner|url=http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/BoysRahmanAward/2015-Winner.asp|accessdate=13 April 2018|website=Royal Society of Chemistry}}
• 2014 American Chemical Society Langmuir Lecture Award{{cite web|title=Langmuir Lecture|url=http://colloidssurfaces.sites.acs.org/langmuirlecture.htm|accessdate=13 April 2018|website=ACS Colloid and Surface Chemistry|archive-date=14 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414010728/http://colloidssurfaces.sites.acs.org/langmuirlecture.htm|url-status=dead}}
• 2013 Mines Medal from the South Dakota School of Mines{{cite web|title=Anna Balazs announced as 2013 Mines Medalist|url=https://www.sdsmt.edu/News/Anna-Balazs-announced-as-2013-Mines-Medalist/#.WtDDkpch3-h|accessdate=13 April 2018|website=South Dakota School of Mines}}
• 2003 Maurice Huggins Memorial Award of the Gordon Research Conference for outstanding contributions to Polymer Science
• 1999- 2000 Chair of the American Physical Society Division of Polymer Physics in 1999–2000,{{cite web|title=Past Executive Committees|url=https://www.aps.org/units/dpoly/governance/officers/past.cfm|website=American Physical Society|accessdate=13 April 2018}}
• Special Creativity Prize from the National Science Foundation

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Category:1953 births

Category:Living people

Category:University of Pittsburgh faculty

Category:21st-century American engineers

Category:21st-century American women engineers

Category:MIT School of Engineering alumni

Category:Bryn Mawr College alumni