Clare McCabe is a British-American-Irish chemical engineer who is Bicentennial Professor in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. She was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2019. Her research makes use of molecular modelling to understand the properties of biological systems, fluids and nanomaterials.

Clare McCabe
Alma materUniversity of Sheffield
Scientific career
InstitutionsVanderbilt University
Colorado School of Mines
ThesisStatistical mechanics of chain molecules (1999)

Early life and education

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McCabe completed her undergraduate training in the United Kingdom. She first specialised in chemistry at the University of Sheffield, and then concentrated on physical chemistry for her doctoral research.[1]

Research and career

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In 2002, McCabe joined the faculty at the Colorado School of Mines as an assistant professor. She joined Vanderbilt University in 2004 as an assistant professor of chemical engineering, and was promoted to associate professor in 2007 and full professor in 2011; in 2017, she was awarded a chaired professorship as Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering.[1] She moved to Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2022.[2] Her early research considered ionic liquids.[3] In particular, McCabe sought to develop a framework that allowed the modelling and simulation of ionic liquids, both as neat materials and in blend systems.[3]

McCabe is interested in lipid self-assembly, nanoscale tribology and molecular thermodynamics.[4] She makes use of molecular modelling and better understand real-world applications.[4]

Awards and honours

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Selected publications

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Profile". VINSE - Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  2. "Professors join Heriot-Watt to aid race towards net zero". www.hw.ac.uk. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 "NSF Award Search: Award#0829062 - A Molecular-Based Framework for Studying the Thermodynamic Properties of Ionic Liquids". nsf.gov. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Bio". School of Engineering. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  5. Pankake, Missy. "Faculty awards conferred at spring assembly". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  6. "CoMSEF Impact Award". www.aiche.org. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  7. "McCabe receives a 2018 Chancellor's Award for Research". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  8. "AAAS Announces Leading Scientists Elected as 2019 Fellows | American Association for the Advancement of Science". www.aaas.org. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  9. IChemE Medals and Prize Winners 2025 https://www.icheme.org/media/28241/icheme-medals-and-prize-winners-2025.pdf
  10. Professor Clare McCabe Receives PPEPPD Prausnitz Award the 2025 Properties and at the 17th International Conference on Phase Equilibria for Process and Product Design (PPEPPD) https://dechema.de/en/prausnitz_award.html