Pinar Zorlutuna, professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Notre Dame, has been awarded an endowed professorship. She was named Notre Dame’s Roth-Gibson Professor of Bioengineering, effective January 1, 2023.
“Appointment to an endowed chair is one of the highest honors in the University, signifying distinguished achievement in one’s field,” said Patricia J. Culligan, the Matthew H. McCloskey Dean of the College of Engineering.
“Professor Zorlutuna is nationally acclaimed for her prominent work and contributions in bioengineering, including her leading-edge research in tissue models and biorobots.
“She has successfully pursued patents that translate her work on biocomputing into action. I am delighted to see Pinar’s contributions recognized with this chair.”
Zorlutuna investigates and develops micro- and nanoscale approaches to cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, with a focus on addressing health problems such as cancer, heart disease and aging as well as engineering bio-inspired systems. The Zorlutuna Lab designs biomimetic environments using tissue engineering, genetic engineering, and micro- and nanotechnology.
In 2019, she received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) — the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding young scientists and engineers. In 2021, she was named a member of the Cellular and Molecular Technologies Study Section of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review. The National Academy of Sciences named her a Kavli Fellow in recognition of her exceptional contributions to science.
Zorlutuna is an affiliate member of Notre Dame’s Harper Cancer Research Institute, Institute for Precision Health and Nanoscience and Technology.
After completing her Ph.D. at the Middle East Technical University, Zorlutuna was a postdoctoral fellow first at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and then at Harvard Medical School. She joined the Notre Dame faculty in 2014.
Originally published by at tissueeng.nd.edu on February 07, 2023.