Dr. Saniya LeBlanc is one of 20 engineering faculty across the country highlighted in the American Society of Engineering Education’s Prism article “Early Risers: 20 High-Achieving Researchers and Educators Under 40.” The article was published in the magazine’s Summer 2018 issue and provides a look into the path Dr. LeBlanc took to her current position as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Dr. LeBlanc had decided from a young age to be a mechanical engineer, but staying in academia after earning her degree was not part of her original plan. Instead, she intended to work her way up to executive management in the business sector. Along the way, she conducted research for an energy company, taught math and science through the Teach for America program, earned her Ph.D., and did a stint at an energy technology start-up. And in the process, she discovered that she has the heart of an educator and decided to join GW in 2014.
Here at GW, Dr. LeBlanc teaches undergraduate and graduate courses and conducts pioneering research on energy-conversion technologies and nano-materials that could vastly improve the efficiency of electricity and reduce its cost. She also has developed a National Science Foundation-funded nanotechnology practicum that trains undergraduates and younger students on new fabrication tools and techniques.