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Dashboard Members Norma Alcantar , F-NAI, F-AIChE, F-AIMBE, F-AAAS
Dr. Norma Alcantar , F-NAI, F-AIChE, F-AIMBE, F-AAAS
Professor and Associate Dean for Research, College of Engineering
University of South Florida, Dept. of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering
Discipline: Engineering
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Norma A. Alcantar, Ph.D. is the Associate Dean for Research and a Professor in the Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of South Florida. An internationally recognized pioneer, Dr. Alcantar develops innovative natural technologies with applications in environmental, medical, and industrial fields.
Her research expertise spans interfacial phenomena, biomimetic membranes, drug delivery systems, micellar surfactants, green chemistry materials, water purification systems, nanoparticles, and organic/inorganic thin films. She is best known for groundbreaking inventions that remove contaminants from freshwater to provide clean drinking water to underserved regions worldwide, clear oil spills, eliminate bacteria and ammonia from aquaculture systems, and create novel therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. She currently holds 25 U.S. patents.
Dr. Alcantar is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). She was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (2021), the International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (ISEES), and the Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine of Florida (2023), and is a Core Fulbright Scholar. She serves as Membership Engagement Chair for the AAAS Engineering Steering Group, Board Director for AIChE (since 2022), and co-director of the Water, Health, and Sustainability Graduate Certificate. In 2022, she was a Programming Chair for the International Materials Research Congress.
Dr. Alcantar earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her B.S. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Her research expertise spans interfacial phenomena, biomimetic membranes, drug delivery systems, micellar surfactants, green chemistry materials, water purification systems, nanoparticles, and organic/inorganic thin films. She is best known for groundbreaking inventions that remove contaminants from freshwater to provide clean drinking water to underserved regions worldwide, clear oil spills, eliminate bacteria and ammonia from aquaculture systems, and create novel therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. She currently holds 25 U.S. patents.
Dr. Alcantar is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). She was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (2021), the International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (ISEES), and the Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine of Florida (2023), and is a Core Fulbright Scholar. She serves as Membership Engagement Chair for the AAAS Engineering Steering Group, Board Director for AIChE (since 2022), and co-director of the Water, Health, and Sustainability Graduate Certificate. In 2022, she was a Programming Chair for the International Materials Research Congress.
Dr. Alcantar earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her B.S. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).