The University of Pittsburgh has appointed Jill E. Millstone as director of the Gertrude E. and John M. Petersen Institute of NanoScience and Engineering (PINSE).
Millstone, the Leo B. and Teresa Y. Wegemer Professor of Chemistry in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, is an internationally respected leader in nanomaterials research whose work has helped advance understanding of how nanoscale materials are formed, structured and applied. Millstone, who has a joint appointment in the Swanson School of Engineering’s Department of Chemical Engineering, succeeds a generation of PINSE leadership dedicated to cultivating the institute as a hub for scientific discovery and regional partnerships.
“PINSE has played a vital role in connecting researchers across disciplines and providing the infrastructure needed for groundbreaking work in nanoscience and nanotechnology,” said Adam Leibovich, Bailey Dean of the Dietrich School. “Jill’s exceptional scientific accomplishments, collaborative leadership style, and commitment to fostering innovation make her ideally suited to lead PINSE into its next chapter.”
Founded in 2002, PINSE promotes collaboration among researchers across the sciences, engineering and medicine while supporting partnerships with industry and external academic institutions. In 2006, a transformative endowment from Gertrude E. and John M. Petersen (BUS ’51) enabled the creation of the Nanoscale Fabrication and Characterization Facility, a state-of-the-art research facility in Benedum Hall that today supports a diverse community of internal and external users within PINSE.
PINSE serves as an integrated, multidisciplinary organization that advances nanoscale science and engineering across Pitt. The partnership brings together expertise from the Dietrich School, the Swanson School and the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research, positioning PINSE to advance interdisciplinary research and innovation across the University. Through its research infrastructure, educational programs and collaborative partnerships, PINSE supports researchers from a broad range of disciplines — including chemistry, physics, biology and engineering — while helping drive scientific and technological innovation throughout the region.
PINSE gives researchers and companies access to advanced materials characterization and fabrication facilities for exploring and working with materials from atomic to industrial scales,” said Michele V. Manuel, U.S. Steel Dean of the Swanson School. “That access allows industry to test an idea or investigate a materials challenge without the added expense of building and maintaining specialized facilities. It also gives faculty and students the tools to collaborate on new discoveries. Jill understands the value of connecting university research with industry needs, and I look forward to seeing PINSE grow as a resource for both.”
As director, Millstone will provide strategic leadership for PINSE and its programs, helping strengthen connections among researchers, expand engagement with regional and industrial partners, and enhance opportunities for students and faculty working at the forefront of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
“PINSE represents the best of interdisciplinary research at Pitt,” Millstone said. “The institute brings together researchers with diverse expertise who are united by a common goal of understanding and harnessing materials and phenomena at the nanoscale. I am honored to lead PINSE and look forward to building on its strong foundation while creating new opportunities for collaboration, innovation and discovery.”
Millstone earned bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and English from Carnegie Mellon University and a doctorate in materials chemistry from Northwestern University. After completing postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, she joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2011.
Her research program focuses on inorganic and materials chemistry, nanomaterials, mechanochemistry, and surface and colloid chemistry. Through the design and synthesis of nanoparticles with tailored optical, electronic and structural properties, her laboratory seeks to understand how nanoscale materials are built and how their structures influence performance. Her work has applications spanning catalysis, energy conversion, environmental remediation, sensing technologies and medicine.
A widely recognized scholar, Millstone has received numerous honors, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a Cottrell Scholar Award, the Kavli Emerging Leader in Chemistry Award, Pitt’s Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award, and the Unilever Award for Outstanding Young Investigator in Colloid and Surfactant Science. In 2025, she was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her contributions to inorganic and materials chemistry, particularly the development of chemical methods that deepen understanding of mixed-metal nanomaterials.
Throughout her career, Millstone has emphasized the importance of mentorship, collaboration and interdisciplinary discovery. These values closely align with PINSE’s mission to foster innovation, support cutting-edge research infrastructure and create new opportunities for students and researchers working across traditional academic boundaries.