Dr. Shuang (Cynthia) Cui

The McDermott Professorships were established in August 2017, funded by an anonymous gift, with the goal of providing early career support and recognition to faculty members who have established extraordinary records of research productivity, teaching excellence and university service, and who show promise of being leaders of the UT Dallas faculty in the future. 

---

“Buildings and industrial processes are among the world’s largest energy consumers. Through advanced materials and intelligent systems, we aim to boost energy efficiency where it matters most. The McDermott Professorship empowers us to create lasting solutions for a more sustainable future.” 

Dr. Shuang (Cynthia) Cui develops materials designed for energy reduction and sustainability. 

Cui is developing a quick-drying polymeric desiccant, for example, that can absorb moisture from the air to keep building temperatures and humidity comfortable and lower air-conditioning use. The desiccant is applied as a coating on a rotating cylinder that continuously attracts and captures moisture from the surrounding air. Once saturated, the cylinder moves into a separate phase where it is exposed to low heat, allowing the absorbed moisture to be released as liquid. Then, the stages repeat in a continuous cycle. 

In a separate project that uses a similar concept, Cui is developing a new method to dry paper in manufacturing that uses up to 60% less energy than the traditional method. She also is involved in research projects through The University of Texas at Dallas’ Batteries and Energy to Advance Commercialization and National Security center and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Earthshot Research Centers. 

Cui’s research interests include advanced thermal energy storage materials and systems, intelligent soft materials and devices, nanoscale heat transfer and energy conversion, and grid-interactive efficient buildings.  

Before joining UT Dallas’ Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science in 2021, Cui was a researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). She holds a joint faculty appointment at NREL, where she previously received the President’s Award for Exceptional Performance. 

Cui’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Defense and private sector partners. She has received honors including the 2024 Recognition of Outstanding Achievement in Research award from the UTD Office of Research and Innovation. 

A team of students that Cui advised won a top honor in the DOE’s 2024-2025 JUMP into STEM final competition for developing an innovative material made from wood pulp that is designed to keep building temperatures comfortable and reduce energy use. 

Cui earned her PhD from the University of California, San Diego, in 2018, and a Master of Science in thermal engineering and a Bachelor of Science in energy systems and power engineering from Wuhan University in China.