Deborah Chung
Main Research Area: Condition Monitoring and Remote Sensing
Biography
Deborah D.L. Chung is best known for her invention of smart concrete. Smart concrete is concrete that is itself a sensor of strain and damage. This invention is featured in a film on NBC Learn. In addition, she is the inventor of: "Exfoliated Graphite Fibers," "Carbon Fiber Reinforced Superconductor" and "Carbon Fiber Composites with Improved Fatigue Resistance," all of which were selected by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for funding through the Energy-Related Inventions Program of the Department of Energy.
She is the recipient of the UB President's Medal (2024), for which she received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. Congress.
She is a dedicated teacher, having produced about 35 PhD graduates and received the "Teacher of the Year" award from Tau Beta Pi (New York Nu) in 1992-93. The books that she has authored include “Functional Materials” (World Scientific, 2010) and “Composite Materials” (Springer, 2nd Ed., 2010). Due to her interest in inspiring young people for science, she is the editor of the book series “The Road to Scientific Success: Inspiring Life Stories of Prominent Researchers.”