American Ceramic Society Honors Subhash Risbud as Distinguished Life Member
Subhash Risbud, Distinguished Professor emeritus of materials science and engineering at the University of California, Davis, has been selected by the American Ceramic Society, or ACerS, to receive the honor of Distinguished Life Member.
The Distinguished Life Member Award is the society's highest honor accorded to members of the scientific and technical organization and recognizes eminent contributions to the ceramic and glass profession.
"I am humbled to have received this Distinguished Life Member honor, particularly after my colleague, [Distinguished Professor Emeritus] Zuhair Munir, received the same award last year," Risbud said.
"This well-deserved recognition reflects Subhash's innovative and sustained contributions to glass and ceramics research, exceptional mentorship and global leadership in the field," said Sabyasachi Sen, chair of the UC Davis Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
In addition to his prolific contributions to the ceramic and glass fields as a scientist and educator, Risbud is known worldwide for collaborations on a multitude of projects, including photonics and electronics engineering, biotechnology and nanotechnology, computer modeling and environmental effects on human health, as well as for his advocacy of students, women and diverse talent in the industry.
Most recently, Risbud has facilitated a partnership between UC Davis and Homerun Resources, Inc., to develop a groundbreaking one-step laser-pulse technique to purify raw silica sand, the first step in creating a pathway to a carbon-neutral process for synthesizing silica carbide. He has also demonstrated a commitment to UC Davis engineering students' mental health, having recently connected undergraduate student Rawan Dirhalleh with University of Michigan researchers to collect and analyze data on campus.
Risbud has been an ACerS member for 54 years and became an ACerS Fellow in 1989. He is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the James Mueller Award (2025), the W.D. Kingery Award (2020), the Ross Coffin Purdy Award (1979) and the Outstanding Educator Award (1998). He belongs to the ACerS Engineering Ceramics Division and Glass & Optical Materials Division.
The award will be presented at the annual honors and awards banquet held on Sept. 29, 2025, during the ACerS Annual Meeting at the Materials Science and Technology Conference in Columbus, Ohio.