Ayusman Sen is a distinguished professor at Penn State (Verne M. Willaman Professor of Chemistry), whose research spans analytical chemistry, materials & nanoscience, polymer and chemical biology, and inorganic chemistry. He specializes in creating “active” or self-powered particles and materials that can move, communicate, and adapt—drawing inspiration from living systems—to perform complex tasks. His lab aims to engineer synthetic systems with dynamic and collective behaviors, like enzyme-powered motors and particle groups that respond to chemical signals in their environment. He has been honored with numerous awards (including the Langmuir Lecture, Humboldt Prize, and fellowship in several major scientific societies), reflecting his high standing in the fields of nano- and materials science, and has published extensively on topics like chemically propelled micromotors, enzyme cascades, and active colloidal systems.