Cynthia Hipwell | |
|---|---|
| Academic background | |
| Education | BSc, 1991, Rice University MSc, PhD, 1996, University of California, Berkeley |
| Thesis | Short time-scale energy transport in light-emitting porous silicon (1996) |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Texas A&M University College of Engineering Seagate Technology |
| Website | www |
Mary Cynthia Hipwell is an American nanotechnologist and tribologist. She is the Oscar S. Wyatt,Jr. '45 Chair II Professor of mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University College of Engineering. Hipwell was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2016,"for leadership in the development of technologies to enable areal density increases in hard disk drives". She is also a member of the National Academy of Inventors.
Hipwell studied mechanical engineering as an undergraduate at Rice University,and completed her Master's degree and Ph.D. at the University of California,Berkeley. [1]
After completing her doctorate,Hipwell worked for electronic storage company Seagate Technology,and later for food and materials processing company Bühler,Inc.. While serving as Vice President of Engineering for Bühler,Hipwell was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering for "her leadership in the development of technologies to enable areal density and reliability increases in hard disk drives." [2] [3] In 2017,Hipwell was recruited to Texas A&M University College of Engineering with a $3 million grant from the Governor’s University Research Initiative. [4] Upon joining the faculty at Texas A&M,Hipwell established the INnoVation tools and Entrepreneurial New Technology (INVENT) laboratory. She was also elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2018. [5] The following year,Hipwell was recognized by the Aggie Women Network with their 2019 Eminent Scholar Award. [6] In 2024,Hipwell became Deputy Director of the Human AugmentatioN via Dexterity (HAND) center and helped develop robots capable of enhancing human labor. [7]