Nicola A. Spaldin is a Professor in the Materials Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is an enthusiastic and effective teacher, with experience ranging from developing and managing the UCSB Integrative Graduate Training Program to answering elementary school students' questions online. Particularly renowned for her research in the area of multiferroics and magnoelectrics, her current research focuses on using electronic structure methods to design and understand materials that combine magnetism with additional functionalities. She was recently awarded the American Physical Society's McGroddy Prize for New Materials for this work. She is also active in research administration, directing the UCSB/National Science Foundation International Center for Materials Research.