Amy Tsui

Amy Tsui is a fourth year PhD Chemical Engineering at Stanford University where she is focusing on polymer science, manufacturing, and the built environment. Under the direction of Professor Curtis Frank and in collaboration with others in the Civil & Environmental Engineering department, Amy is developing biodegradable insulation foam using microbially-produced polymers to replace current structural insulation panels sourced from fossil fuels.  The achievement of this goal will serve as a significant step towards replacing other foams and plastic products with biodegradable alternatives. Amy received her BS degree from Rutgers University, majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Urban Studies. 

In addition to her research, Amy has served in a variety of leadership roles across the University. These include leading a team for Stanford Environmental Consulting (working with a Stanford-based sustainability non-profit to develop globally-implementable sustainability project guides) and serving on the Chemical Engineering graduate student ACTION Committee.  She organized her department’s Graduate Recruitment Weekend for admitted prospective graduate students, achieving a high 60% matriculation.  As a leader of the local Society of Women Engineers’ region of the Collegiate Leadership Coaching Committee for two years, Amy developed two regional leadership summits and taught professional development skills at various universities.  Most recently, Amy was a Principal at StartX, the Stanford student startup accelerator and directed their mentorship program.  Last year, she also started a new academic organization called the Stanford Polymer Collective (SPC) after being awarded the Student Projects for Intellectual Community Enhancement (SPICE) Grant through the Vice Provost of Graduate Education.

Her overarching objective in engaging in these leadership roles and activities are to gain valuable experiences, partnerships, and skills that enable her to develop and advance new products that are sustainable across their full life cycle.