Congratulations to new MESD Officers!

The 2014 Division Elections have concluded and we are pleased to announce our newly-elected officers:

Second Vice-Chair:  Julie Liu

MESD Directors (2014-2016):  Julie Champion & Enrique Gomez

Secretary/Treasurer: Douglass Kalika

Biographical Information on the new officers is provided below.

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Julie C. Liu is an Associate Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University. She received her B.S.E. degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. Julie earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology where she worked with David Tirrell on elastin-based biomaterials for small-diameter vascular graft applications. She was an NIH post-doctoral fellow in Cell Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Julie’s research group focuses on designing protein-based biomaterials for tissue engineering and biomedical applications. Her group has investigated material-based microenvironments to direct adult stem cell differentiation for cartilage, bone, and vascular tissue engineering. In addition, her group is developing new soft-tissue surgical adhesives. Her work has been funded by a 3M Nontenured Faculty Award, an American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.

Julie has been a member of AIChE since 2001 and has chaired and co-chaired materials-related sessions in Areas 8b (Biomaterials) and 15d/e (Engineering Fundamentals in Life Science). She was elected as the Area 15d/e programming chair and also served as the chair of the AIChE Women’s Initiatives Committee (WIC). In her role with WIC, she was instrumental in increasing WIC’s impact through the development and implementation of new professional development workshops. Julie served the materials community by organizing a symposium at the 2011 Materials Research Society Spring meeting and hosting a regional Biomaterials Day meeting at Purdue. She has also organized sessions and served in leadership positions in the Society for Biomaterials (SFB). In particular, she is the chair of the Biomaterials Education special interest group and has served on the SFB Membership Committee, Finance Committee, and Education & Professional Development Committee.

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Julie Champion is currently an assistant professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Michigan, and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from University of California Santa Barbara with Samir Mitragotri. Julie did postdoctoral research at California Institute of Technology with Dave Tirrell. Her current research focuses on building materials from therapeutic or bioactive proteins utilizing both self-assembly and bioconjugation. A variety of protein materials are created in the Champion Lab, including nano and microparticles, surface coatings, and protein-inorganic hybrid structures. These materials are tested as potential therapeutics for autoimmune disease, vaccination, and cancer.

Enrique D. Gomez received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied under Nitash Balsara. After a position as a postdoctoral research associate with Lynn Loo at Princeton University, he started as a faculty member of the Chemical Engineering Department and the Materials Research Institute of the Pennsylvania State University in August of 2009. Enrique’s research focus is on understanding how structure at various length scales affects macroscopic properties of soft condensed matter. Specifically, the Gomez Group is currently focused on examining the relationship between microstructure and optoelectronic properties of conjugated organic molecules.

Enrique has been a member of AIChE since 2008. He has filled various roles within Area 08A (Polymers), including session chair, Area vice-chair, and Area chair. His activities within AIChE have focused on enhancing the visibility of the program, enhancing the student experience, and raising funds to support activities. Enrique is also an active member of the American Physical Society, where he has organized multiple focus and invited sessions. He currently serves on the programming committee for the Division of Polymer Physics (DPOLY), where he will serve as Programming Chair for DPOLY in 2017.