She is recognized for her contributions to the fields of soft matter and computational science, most notably on problems in assembly science and engineering, nanoscience, and the glass transition, for which the elucidation of the nature of dynamical heterogeneity in glassy liquids is of particular significance.

[4] In addition, her paper together with Michael J. Solomon on anisotropy dimensions of patchy particles[5] has become a classic work, inspiring research directions of groups around the world.

[6] Glotzer and collaborators coined the term ‘Directional Entropic Forces’[7] in 2011 to denote the effective interaction that drives anisotropic hard particles to align their facets during self-assembly and/or crystallization.

This idea, which builds on Onsager's work on spherocylinders,[8] allows for predictions of expected assembled crystal and crystal-like structures from attributes of the particles' shape.

Like the MacArthur "Genius" Awardees, both Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellows and Simons Investigators receive significant funding to pursue unrestricted basic research.