Van Lehn receives Vilas early career award

Reid Van Lehn, the Hunt-Hougen Associate Professor in chemical and biological engineering, is one of 12 recipients of the 2025 Vilas Faculty Early Career Investigator Award, which honors University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty who are still relatively early in their careers.

Van Lehn uses molecular simulations and data to characterize, predict and engineer the behavior of synthetic and biological soft materials. His computational work has been used to screen for solvents for use in plastics recycling, to uncover lipid reactions to facilitate drug delivery, and to understand the complex liquid environments that are essential to energy storage, catalysis and biomaterials design.

The Vilas Faculty Early Career Investigator Award recognizes research and teaching excellence and provides flexible research funding for three years. Vilas awards are supported by the estate of professor, U.S. Senator and UW Regent William F. Vilas.

See the full list of recipients.