Through his leadership of the Materials Research Institute and outreach among international glass researchers, Pantano forged a legacy across disciplines.
Through his leadership of the Materials Research Institute and outreach among international glass researchers, Pantano forged a legacy across disciplines.
Carlo Pantano is one of the world’s leading experts in glass surface science. His research has generated fundamental knowledge of glass compositions and glasses used for safe long-term immobilization of nuclear waste. He is also known as a selfless leader and collaborator throughout the international glass research community. In 2005, he was awarded the George W. Morey Award for new and original work in the field of glass science and technology.
Pantano, who retired as Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, led the Materials Research Institute from 1998 to 2014. Under his leadership, MRI grew from an institute largely on paper to one with 200-plus materials faculty from colleges and departments across the university.
During his tenure, the university planned and built the state-of-the-art Millennium Science Complex, a monument to Pantano’s dedication to the convergence of materials science with the life sciences.
Pantano has done ground-breaking research on glass surface science with relevance to electronic displays and smartphones, lab-on-a-chip technology, nuclear waste disposal, and renewable energy.
Along with his lab work, Pantano is an award-winning educator whose students have been strongly recruited by industry. His ties to U.S. and international glass companies have resulted in university-industry collaborations that continue to this day.