David Kisailus

Biography

David Kisailus, Ph.D., is Director of the Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Program and Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. He also serves as Professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at UC Riverside, where he held the Winston Chung Endowed Chair of Energy Innovation and served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Facilities. Kisailus received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from UC Santa Barbara in 2002, and worked as a research scientist at HRL Laboratories prior to joining UC Riverside in 2007.

Kisailus is an elected Fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials and a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. He served as Director and Lead PI of a Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI) Center from 2014 to 2023, which investigated damage-tolerant biological composites and their translation to engineered materials. His research focuses on the structure-mechanical property relationships of biomineralized organisms, bio-inspired synthesis of nanoscale materials for energy applications, and the development of multifunctional biomimetic composites. He has acquired more than $28 million in research funding and serves on the Executive Committee of the American Association for Crystal Growth.

Kisailus is Chief Science Officer and Director of Helicoid Industries, Inc., a startup company that has successfully commercialized bio-inspired composite technology for use in protective equipment. He has been granted 18 patents and has published more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles. His work on the mantis shrimp dactyl club, published in Science in 2012, and the diabolical ironclad beetle exoskeleton, published in Nature in 2020, has received international media attention. He has mentored more than 220 graduate, undergraduate, and high school students, and has graduated 10 Ph.D. and 6 M.S. students.

Education

• Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara, 2002
• M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, 1999
• B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, 1993

Distinctions

• Henry Samueli Faculty Excellence Professor, UC Irvine, 2020-2023
• Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014-present
• Fellow, International Association of Advanced Materials, 2024-present
• Winston Chung Endowed Chair of Energy Innovation, UC Riverside, 2011-2020
• Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement, 2011-2012, 2016-2017