“Doing good work with integrity matters.” This is the guiding principle behind Saniya LeBlanc’s career, shaping her commitment to ethical research, education, sustainability, and equity. Through federally funded work at the intersection of materials science, energy conversion, and thermal transport, she is helping to build a cleaner, more resilient future. LeBlanc’s distinguished career has earned her the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor for early-career researchers given by the U.S. government.
Established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, the PECASE recognizes scientists and engineers who demonstrate exceptional promise in leadership and research. Nominations come from the participating government agencies that employ or fund each researcher. This year, the National Science Foundation (NSF) selected LeBlanc as a nominee from its Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award recipients. She received this recognition in 2020 and continues to drive progress in sustainable energy solutions.
A defining feature of the NSF CAREER award is its emphasis on integrating research and education. As a mechanical and aerospace engineering professor at GW Engineering, LeBlanc exemplifies this principle, ensuring that technological innovation goes hand in hand with workforce development. LeBlanc prepares the next generation of engineers to tackle global energy challenges by involving students at all levels of her research.
“I think that’s what first led to the CAREER Award and then ultimately the PECASE. It’s not just about the research; it’s about the integration of research and education,” LeBlanc stated.
LeBlanc’s CAREER Award research addresses society’s growing energy needs by integrating advanced materials and manufacturing techniques to create next-generation energy conversion devices. Over the first five years, she dedicated time to understanding how materials behave after undergoing advanced manufacturing techniques. She modeled this experimentally and computationally, crediting a student with helping her expand her computational expertise.
LeBlanc focuses on additive manufacturing techniques–more commonly known as 3D printing–for energy conversion and thermal management. Last year, she and her doctoral student, Bengisu Şişik, contributed to a novel study published in Nature Energy, exploring the conversion of waste heat into electricity through thermoelectric power generation. The study introduces an innovative approach to altering the geometry of thermoelectric materials via 3D printing, significantly enhancing power generation efficiency.
LeBlanc’s commitment to integrating research and education is deeply rooted in her experiences at Teach for America before becoming a professor. She believes in thoroughly understanding a challenge before working toward solutions, a philosophy carried through to a project she led with seed funding from GW’s Equity Institute. In this project, she and students engaged directly with a local community to identify critical needs and advance energy equity. What began as a once-a-week session at a summer camp to learn about how residents used and thought about energy evolved into developing a community garden.
“I joined Teach for America before I got my Ph.D. and was qualified to become a professor because I believe you first must work in the environment to understand it. You need to try to have an impact there before deciding whether to move on to bigger things and work systematically. I’ve tried to do both in my career,” said LeBlanc.
At GW Engineering, LeBlanc tackles energy issues at the systemic level by connecting her technical engineering expertise with other disciplines for real-world impact. Through initiatives like the Alliance for a Sustainable Future, she collaborates with lawyers, policymakers, urban planners, and other experts to translate scientific advancements into actionable solutions to combat rapid environmental changes and promote a healthy resource system for all.
In a class co-taught with Anna Helm, director of the Center for International Business Education and Research, LeBlanc teaches engineering and business students that addressing global challenges requires bridging the gap between technology, policy, and finance. She also extends this lesson to professionals, regularly sharing her expertise in interviews with news outlets like The Guardian and speaking to various groups. For instance, she recently joined an effort to educate judges on the current state of energy and energy technology.
For LeBlanc, integrity isn’t just about the work done in the lab–it’s about sharing this knowledge and staying true to her values. “I’ve always come in saying, for me, publications are about sharing the work we’re doing with the rest of the world, and you never know when someone will need the knowledge you’ve created. So, you just need to get it out there,” said LeBlanc.
“We will produce high-quality work, and we won’t do it at the expense of being decent,” she stated.
In her lab, LeBlanc leads by example. By intentionally cultivating a group of researchers who bring different ideas and perspectives, she ensures that the innovations they develop will thoughtfully address the needs of all users. She equips her students with essential materials, manufacturing, and system design skills and instills strong leadership and ethics. She emphasizes the importance of professional behavior and teamwork to help them remain grounded when transitioning to the workforce.
“It’s about teaching everyone how you act professionally, the decisions you make, the way you operate in a team – all of that is important. I think that’s also a big contributor to equity because [the students] will go into the workplace, and I will have set the model for them on how to lead a group, how to show what is actually valued, and how to live by your values,” said LeBlanc.
The PECASE honors LeBlanc not only as a leading researcher but also as a passionate educator. By pioneering new approaches to sustainable energy, she is developing solutions to the U.S.’s complex energy needs, continually broadening her scope through partnerships, like her collaboration with the Office of Naval Research, to tackle these challenges from multiple angles. Her research lays the foundation for advanced manufacturing that will shape the future of sustainable, resilient energy systems. At the same time, her teaching ensures that today’s scientific advancements contribute to a cleaner, more equitable world tomorrow.
LeBlanc sees the most significant impact of her career in shaping the next generation of problem solvers who will carry her research efforts forward. “The biggest way we can make an impact as educators is to try and lay a foundation for the next generation. We need to educate and give them the tools they need because they will be the ones who deal with the most significant impacts of a rapidly changing environment.”