Talat Rahman is a Trustee Chair Professor and Pegasus Professor at University of Central Florida. She received her undergraduate education from Karachi University, M. Phil from Islamabad University (now Quaid-e-Azam University) and PhD from University of Rochester, all degrees in Physics. After research appointments at University of California, Irvine, she served Kansas State University (1983-2006) gong through the ranks of Assistant Professor to University Distinguished Professor (2001). She joined the University of Central Florida in 2006 as a Distinguished Professor of Physics and served as the chair of Physics (2006-2015). Her research interests are in obtaining a microscopic understanding of the physical and chemical properties of lowdimensional, nanoscale materials that help predict their novel properties and facilitate their rational design for a variety of energy related applications. A related interest is in multiscale modeling of chemical reactions and thin film growth processes, and another is designing molecular magnets for application in quantum information science. At UCF, she led the effort to transform undergraduate instructions by infusing active learning environments through PER-tested strategies. She is a fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Physical Society (APS), American Vacuum Society (AVS), and the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). She is the recipient of several professional awards including the Research Incentive and Research Excellence Awards from UCF, Visiting Miller Professorship from University of California-Berkeley, Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize from Germany, Higuchi Research Award from the University of Kansas, and the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award, Kansas State University. She was recently awarded the Helene Lange Guest Professorship by University of Oldenburg, Germany, and appointed Mercator Fellow at Ruhr University Bochum – both of which foster mentoring of junior scientists, particularly women. She has published over 330 refereed papers, mentored over three dozen PhD students, and engaged in promoting scientific collaborations in developing countries. She has been involved in efforts to promote the participation of women and minorities (particularly through the Bridge Program of American Physical Society).

Talat Rahman is committed to bringing systemic changes to physics pedagogy by demystifying it, i.e., by simplifying foundational mathematical formulation and using transparent conceptual approaches, thus making physics accessible and desirable for students from a diverse background. Her leadership in the APS PhysTEC and Bridge Programs at UCF have not only helped transform positively the UCF Physics Department's attitude towards teaching as a profession and towards creating an environment that is conducive to recruiting and retaining women and underrepresented minorities, it has also given her the experience and soft skills that could help formulate strategies for bringing about the above mentioned necessary systemic changes in other places.