Chung named recipient of Caltech's 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award

Deborah D.L. Chung, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has been named a recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award from California Institute of Technology, more commonly known as Caltech.

Specifically, Chung is honored for her research that helped launch the field of multifunctional structural materials; for her contributions to the development of smart concrete and other nanostructured materials with intrinsic capabilities potentially useful to society; and for her stalwart efforts to diversify science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“It is humbling to receive this award, which has been given over the years to top scientists in the world, including Nobel Prize winners," said Chung. "I treasure my education at Caltech. Caltech provided me with an unparalleled education that is particularly strong in the basic science, which enabled me to learn new things throughout my career."

The Distinguished Alumni Award, established in 1966, is the highest honor presented by Caltech to its graduates. Chung, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1973, was the university’s first female engineering graduate. She went on to earn her PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977.

"The Distinguished Award recipients have leveraged their Caltech educations to illuminate the mysteries of nature and to apply their insights for the good of society," said Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor of physics., in a statement on Chung and the other three Distinguished Alumni Award recipients for 2025.

An internationally recognized materials scientist, Chung is known for her work in multifunctional structural materials, including her invention of self-sensing smart concrete. She has developed nanostructured materials that shield from electromagnetic interference, thermal interface materials for microelectronic cooling, and structural materials that can act as electrical capacitors.

Since joining the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences faculty in 1986, Chung has been the recipient of numerous honors, most recently receiving the 2024 University at Buffalo President’s Medal. She has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest scholarly societies in the United States, and of the American Carbon Society.

A dedicated educator, Chung has graduated nearly 40 PhD students and received the Teacher of the Year award from the engineering society Tau Beta Pi.

To help inspire young people to pursue science careers, she served as the editor for the book series, “The Road to Scientific Success: Inspiring Life Stories of Prominent Researchers.” Chung has also authored or co-authored over 600 journal articles and has authored multiple books, including “Functional Materials,” “Carbon Materials” and “Composite Materials.”

Chung will be formally recognized in person during Caltech’s Alumni Weekend later this year.