Daniel Oropeza receives the Young Investigator Award from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.
UC Santa Barbara materials assistant professor Daniel Oropeza has been recognized with the 2025 Young Investigator Award from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the nation’s largest association supporting Hispanics in STEM. The award, part of SHPE’s Technical Achievement and Recognition (STAR) Awards, is presented annually to one faculty member in recognition of innovative research and dedication to advancing Hispanics in STEM.
“I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition from SHPE,” said Oropeza, who previously earned the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Early Career Award and the Global Young Investigator Award from the American Ceramic Society’s Engineering Ceramics Division. “It’s especially meaningful for my lab to be recognized for our work and for me and, personally, to be seen as a contributor to the Hispanic community.”
Oropeza’s work focuses on materials processing for aerospace and extreme environments, including platforms for hypersonics, spacecraft, and both renewable and conventional energy systems. His group specializes in additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, of metals and ceramics, with an emphasis on novel refractory and magnetic alloys, inkjet-based processing, and the use of machine learning to optimize manufacturing.
His connection to SHPE dates back to his undergraduate years at the University of Texas at Austin, where he experienced firsthand the importance of organizations that support underrepresented groups in STEM. Having benefited from SHPE and similar communities, Oropeza has prioritized mentoring and expanding opportunities for the next generation of students from underrepresented backgrounds.
“There is tremendous value for students who may feel part of a few to instead feel a sense of community and believe that they belong in STEM,” said Oropeza, who joined the UCSB Materials Department in July 2023. “The award motivates me to continue supporting underrepresented students, making time for mentorship, and showing them the many career paths and possibilities that exist in STEM.”
Oropeza and the other STAR Award recipients will be honored during the SHPE National Convention later this month in Philadelphia, the largest annual gathering of Hispanic STEM professionals in the country. The STAR program celebrates individuals who are making a significant impact through their work, research, and community outreach within the Hispanic community and beyond.
