M. Lisa Manning
Mary Lisa Manning (born 1980) is an American physicist and the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Physics at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, United States. Manning's research focuses on the behavior of glassy materials, using simulations and theory to model the emergent properties of biological tissues. Background Manning grew up in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio and attended the University of Virginia as a Jefferson Scholar, graduating in 2002 with bachelor's degrees in physics and mathematics. She earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2008, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Princeton University Center for Theoretical Science. In 2011, Manning accepted a faculty position at Syracuse University. In 2020, Manning was named the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Physics at the same university. Manning is married to William Wylie and has two children. Research As a graduate student, Manning studied the behaviors and properties of disordered solids and glasses under the mentorship of Jean Carlson. Among other findings, she described how effective temperature is an important determinant of material failure and strain localization, with potential applications for a wide range of amorphous materials. After earning her Ph.D., Manning expanded