February 15, 2021

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the election of Woodruff School Professors Nazanin Bassiri-Gharb and Brandon Dixon to its College of Fellows. They were nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows.

Nazanin Bassiri-Gharb is the Harris Saunders Jr. Chair Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and her research interests are in ferroelectric and multiferroic materials and their application to nano- and micro-electromechanical systems as sensors and actuators. Her research projects integrate micro and nanofabrication techniques and processes, with fundamental science of ferroelectric materials. Bassiri-Gharb was elected to the AIMBE for "outstanding contributions to development of innovative sensor materials applicable in personalized medicine and biomedical engineering applications."

Professor Brandon Dixon's research focuses on elucidating and quantifying the molecular aspects that control lymphatic function as they respond to the dynamically changing mechanical environment they encounter in the body. Through the use of tissue-engineered model systems and animal models, his group's research is shedding light on key functions of lymphatic transport, and the consequence of disease on these functions. Dixon was elected to the AIMBE for "outstanding contributions to technology development furthering our understanding of the structure - function relationships in the lymphatic vasculature."

The College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers in the country. The most accomplished and distinguished engineering and medical school chairs, research directors, professors, innovators, and successful entrepreneurs comprise the College of Fellows. AIMBE Fellows are regularly recognized for their contributions in teaching, research, and innovation. AIMBE Fellows have been awarded the Nobel Prize, the Presidential Medal of Science and the Presidential Medal of Technology and Innovation and many also are members of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences.

A formal induction ceremony will be held during AIMBE’s 2021 Annual Event on March 26. Bassiri-Gharb and Dixon will be inducted along with 174 colleagues who make up the AIMBE Fellow Class of 2021. For more information about the AIMBE Annual Event, please visit http://www.aimbe.org.

AIMBE’s mission is to recognize excellence in, and advocate for, the fields of medical and biological engineering in order to advance society. Since 1991, AIMBE’s College of Fellows has led the way for technological growth and advancement in the fields of medical and biological engineering. AIMBE Fellows have helped revolutionize medicine and related fields to enhance and extend the lives of people all over the world. They have successfully advocated for public policies that have enabled researchers and business-makers to further the interests of engineers, teachers, scientists, clinical practitioners, and ultimately, patients.