Professor Benjamin Hsiao

Benjamin S. Hsiao received his B.S. from National Taiwan University, Ph.D. from University of Connecticut, and post-doctorate training in University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He joined DuPont Company as a staff scientist and spent 8 years in R&D before coming to Stony Brook University.  He served as Chair of the Chemistry Department and held the Vice President for Research position at Stony Brook University. Currently, Hsiao is a Founding Co-Director of Innovative Global Energy Solutions Center (www.igesc.org), aiming to prototype ‘sustainability for off-grid communities of tomorrow’, using the Turkana Basin Institute in northern Kenya as a living laboratory. He is also the Founding Director of the Center for Advanced Technology in Integrated Electric Energy Systems (www.sbuciees.org).

Hsiao’s recent research interests are mainly focused on the development of sustainable nanostructured biomaterials for water purification. His invention has been highlighted by the Association of American Universities (AAU), as well as by the National Science Foundation in a 2015 exhibit for the U.S. Congress and in a Science Nation video. One of his start-ups, Liquidity Nanotech, has won both the "Next Generation Technology" competition in Launch: Silicon Valley 2014 - World Cup Tech Challenge, and ‘TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2015 Startup Battlefield”. 

Hsiao published over 447 peer-reviewed scientific papers, 44 reviews and chapters in books and encyclopedias, obtained 37 issued patents (including 22 U.S. patents) and 22 pending patent applications, and edited 2 books. He was elected as Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow of American Chemical Society, Fellow of American Physical Society, Fellow of Materials Research Society, Fellow of National Academy of Inventors, AAAS-Lemelson Foundation’s Invention Ambassador. He is a SUNY Distinguished Professor, Honorary Professor from University of Queensland in Australia and a Chang-Jiang Scholar from Education Ministry of China.  He received the Co-operative Research Award from Division of Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering of American Chemical Society, NSF Special Creativity Award and DuPont Young Faculty Award.