“Science is absolutely not the answer to everything. Humanities has to play a role.”

Sylvie Lorente

Sylvie Lorente, Associate Dean for Research & Innovation in the College of Engineering at Villanova University, shared the story behind her title with us on September 6, 2023.

Sylvie is also Professor (Exceptional Class) at the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA), University of Toulouse, France. In 2019, she joined Villanova University where she holds the position of College of Engineering Chair Professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering.

She was appointed Hung Hing-Ying Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Science and Technology at Hong Kong University (Hong Kong) in 2017. Sylvie Lorente is also Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria (South Africa), and Adjunct Professor at Duke University, USA. She is a member of the Academia Europaea.

She is editor of the International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, and member of several other editorial boards. Sylvie Lorente has a passion for flow architectures, and works on thermal design, energy storage, vascularized structures, porous media, biological flow networks, urban design and organisations. Together with her group, she uncovers the engineered and biological hierarchical flow pathways that endow complex systems with efficient properties and behaviors. She is the author of 7 books, 10 book chapters and 200+ peer-reviewed international journal papers. She is listed amongst the 2% most cited scientists worldwide.