Dr. Shelley Claridge is an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University. She uses her interdisciplinary background in nanostructured materials and molecular-scale imaging to create materials with inexpensive structural elements that exceed spatial resolution achieved in multi-billion dollar fabrication facilities. Much previous work in surface science has demonstrated atomic or molecular scale control over ‘perfect’ crystalline surfaces, typically over very small areas and under highly controlled conditions. Dr. Claridge’s group has recently developed unconventional strategies to extend precise chemical control to imperfect surfaces operating under real-world conditions, opening the door to a broad range of applications from human health to wearable electronics. Her perspectives on materials chemistry are also shaped by previous experience as a professional software engineer with training in pure mathematics.