Liangbing Hu receives 2025 Anselme Payen Award
Liangbing Hu, the Carol and Douglas Melamed Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Materials Science, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Anselme Payen Award by the American Chemical Society’s Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division.
The award recognizes Hu's seminal contributions to the fundamental understanding of cellulose and wood mechanics over the past decade. His research has revolutionized the field by developing disruptive processing approaches that achieve record-high mechanical performances in engineered wood structures.
“Hu has the unique capability to design novel structures based on his deep understanding of the fundamental science...which very often lead to properties far better than what people have done before.
One of Hu's most significant innovations involves nanoscale cell-wall engineering that drastically modifies the physical properties of wood. This breakthrough effectively transforms ordinary plywood into materials with exceptional strength, transparency, and even conductivity – opening new possibilities for sustainable materials in advanced applications.
"Dr. Hu has the unique capability to design novel structures based on his deep understanding of the fundamental science, and then comes up with simple engineering approaches in cellulose engineering, which very often lead to properties far better than what people have done before,” noted one appraiser. "This is particularly important as the field pushes toward emerging uses of wood and cellulose for advanced products…to address global sustainability challenges."
Hu is the leading inventor of Super Wood technology, with patents issued in multiple countries. He founded InventWood Inc. to commercialize these innovations, recently securing a $20 million Department of Energy grant to manufacture and scale Super Wood products.
At 43, Hu becomes one of the youngest recipients of the Anselme Payen Award. His research has generated over 120,000 citations across approximately 500 peer-reviewed papers, with work regularly featured in Science and Nature.
Hu joined the Yale Engineering faculty in July 2024, serves as founding director of the Center for Materials Innovation, and is a member of the Energy Sciences Institute on Yale's West Campus. He will receive the award medal at the 2026 Cellulose and Renewable Materials Awards Banquet in Atlanta.
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Published Date
May 21, 2025
