Pratt professor Jennifer West named newest NAE Member

Dear Pratt community,

 I am very proud to share the news that Pratt professor Jennifer West has been named a member of the National Academy of Engineering. In the announcement made this morning, NAE cited Jennifer “For developments in photothermal and theranostic therapies and bioabsorbed scaffolds for tissue regeneration.”

 Election to NAE is among the highest honors accorded in our profession, and I can think of few engineers more deserving than Jennifer, whose groundbreaking research in the areas of biomaterials and tissue engineering holds promise for treating diseases such as cancer and glaucoma. As most of you know, Jennifer holds the Fitzpatrick Family University Professorship in Engineering, with joint appointments in both BME and MEMS, and also serves as associate dean for PhD education. You can read more about her contributions in the announcement on the Pratt website.  

 As you’ll also read, the newest NAE members also include two other honorees with strong ties to Pratt: Kristina Johnson, who served as dean of our school from 1999 to 2007,  and Bill Hawkins, a Duke engineering alumnus, former chair of the Pratt Board of Visitors and current member of the Duke University Board of Trustees. Kristina was cited “For development and deployment of liquid crystal on silicon display technologies, the basis for high speed optoelectronic 3D imaging,” and Bill was recognized “For leadership in biomedical engineering and translational medicine.”

 I hope you’ll take a moment to learn more about the important contributions Jennifer, Kristina and Bill have made not only to the field of engineering, but to Duke and Pratt—and to join me in congratulating them on this outstanding recognition of their achievements.

 George A. Truskey

Vinik Dean of Engineering

R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Professor of Biomedical Engineering