Robert T. Tranquillo
University of Minnesota, USA
2014

Prof. Tranquillo received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1986 from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Mathematical Biology at Oxford for one year before beginning his appointment in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science at the University of Minnesota in 1987. He has served as the head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering since its inception in 2000 and is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor. Prof. Tranquillo has used a combined modeling and experimental approach to understand cell behavior, in particular, directed cell migration and cell-matrix mechanical interactions. More recently, his research program has focused on harnessing these cell behaviors in cardiovascular and neural tissue engineering applications. His research has resulted in over 100 peer-reviewed original research publications originating from his lab. His research program at Minnesota has resulted in almost $20M of funding as PI. He has advised 25 PhD graduates and 8 postdoctoral fellows, a group that has resulted in 7 professors and several leaders at major medical device companies. Prof. Tranquillo served on the BMES Board of Directors and chaired its Publications Board (leading to launch of Cardiovascular Engineering & Technology) and served as member-at-large for TERMIS-NA. He is a Fellow of BMES and AIMBE.