Syracuse Sun

Christian Santangelo, a professor and director of graduate studies in the physics department at the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and member of the BioInspired Institute, has been named the 2024 recipient of the William Wasserstrom Prize. The award recognizes his exceptional mentorship of graduate students. A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi presented the award to Santangelo during the Graduate School doctoral hooding ceremony on May 10.

The Wasserstrom Prize is awarded annually to a faculty member who embodies the qualities of its namesake, William Wasserstrom, an English professor known for his broad interests and significant impact on learning. Since his death in 1985, Wasserstrom has been commemorated with this award by A&S for outstanding success as a graduate seminar leader, research and dissertation director, advisor, and role model for graduate students.

Santangelo joined Syracuse University in 2019 and was appointed physics director of graduate studies in 2021. His research interests include soft condensed-matter physics and materials geometry, extreme mechanics, 4D printing and self-folding origami, design of mechanical metamaterials, and topological effect in nonlinear systems. He teaches Physics 1, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, and Advanced Statistical Mechanics.

Throughout his career, Santangelo has co-authored 75 peer-reviewed articles and received nearly $4.5 million in external grant funding for his work. He recently served as “March Meeting” program chair for the Division of Soft Matter (DSOFT) of the American Physical Society. Additionally, he was co-lead of the Smart Materials focus group within the BioInspired Institute and a member of the College Level Liberal Arts Core Committee at A&S.

"Professor Santangelo is certainly an example of the level of excellence Professor Wasserstrom represented," says Mortazavi. "His scholarship and guidance as a mentor have positively impacted our department since he joined the University five years ago. It is an honor to present him with this award."

Santangelo has mentored 20 graduate students and post-docs and served as a research advisor for 12 undergraduates. Professor Mitchell Soderberg, associate chair of the Department of Physics, commends Santangelo's ability to help students develop as scholars.

Former students and colleagues submitted nomination letters praising Santangelo’s qualifications for this award. One former student, Salem Mosleh, now a research associate at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, praised Santangelo's balance of guidance and independence. Marcelo Dias, a senior lecturer in structural engineering at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, credited Santangelo's mentorship for his career development.