Rena Bizios is the Lutcher Brown Chair Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX. She earned her B.S. (Cum Laude) degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA), M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA), and Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA). She has pursued an academic career.
Professor Bizios has taught various undergraduate and graduate fundamental engineering and biomedical engineering courses as well as developed new courses for biomedical engineering curricula. She has mentored many undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty. Her research interests include cellular and tissue engineering, tissue regeneration, biomaterials (including nanostructured ones) and biocompatibility. She has coauthored a textbook (entitled An Introduction to Tissue-Biomaterial Interactions), co-edited a book (Biological Interactions on Material Surfaces: Understanding and Controlling Protein, Cell and Tissue Responses), authored/co-authored scientific publications and book chapters, and is co-inventor of several patents/disclosures. She has given numerous presentations at scientific conferences and invited seminars/lectures in academic institutions and industry. She has also organized and/or co-chaired numerous symposia and sessions at regional/national/international conferences. Professor Bizios is a member, and has been an active participant (including elected officer positions) in several professional societies. She is a member of the Editorial Board of five scientific/engineering journals. Professor Bizios has participated in various national-level review committees and has served on numerous departmental, School/College of Engineering and Institute/University committees.
Professor Bizios’ contributions to education and her research accomplishments have been recognized by the following: Rensselaer Alumni Association Teaching Award (1997); Clemson Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Literature by the Society for Biomaterials, (1998); Distinguished Scientist Award by the Houston Society for Engineering in Medicine and Biology (2009); Women’s Initiatives Mentorship Excellence Award by The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2010); Founders Award by the Society for Biomaterials (2014); Theo C. Pilkington Outstanding Educator Award by the Biomedical Engineering Division, American Society for Engineering Education (2014); Amber Award, The UTSA Ambassadors, The University of Texas at San Antonio (2014); election as Charter Member of the Academy of Distinguished Researchers, The University of Texas at San Antonio (2015); and the AIMBE Excellence in STEM Education Award by the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2018). Professor Bizios is Fellow of six professional societies, specifically, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), International Union of the Societies for Biomaterials Sciences and Engineering (IUSBES), Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE). She is also member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and of the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST).