Hannes Schniepp

Hannes Schniepp has led the Nano & Biomaterials Lab at William & Mary since 2008. His main research interest is in functional materials gaining outstanding properties through nanostructures. A central goal has been to reveal and visualize the properties, processes, and mechanisms at the nanometer scale that give rise to the material characteristics at larger length scales. Scanning probe microscopies have played a pivotal role in this endeavor. His groundbreaking work on graphene and other low-dimensional nanomaterials has attracted over 15,000 citations. A current focus is the development of materials with high thermal conductivity, which is important for microelectronic devices. Recently, his research interests have included biological materials with their fascinating hierarchical structures, such as spider silk or diatoms. The development of enhanced materials with a positive impact on sustainability has become a central goal of his research efforts.

He has been a VMEC professor since 2021, received a Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence from William & Mary in 2018, was named the Adina Allen Term Distinguished Associate Professor of Applied Science in 2015, and received an NSF CAREER award in 2013.

Prof. Schniepp has earned a physics diploma (M.S. equivalent) from the University of Konstanz (Germany) in 1999, and a Dr. sc. nat. in Chemistry and Applied Biosciences from ETH Zürich (Switzerland) in 2004. From 2004 to 2008, he held a postdoctoral appointment in the Chemical and Bioengineering Department at Princeton University.