Nicholas A. Peppas
Encyclopedia
Nicholas A. Peppas ' onMouseout='HidePop("85561")' href="/topics/Athens">Athens
, Greece
on August 25, 1948) is a chemical
and biomedical engineer
whose leadership in biomaterials science
and engineering
, drug delivery
, bionanotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences
, chemical
and polymer engineering
has led to numerous biomedical products or devices.
(D. Eng., 1971) and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(Sc.D., 1973) under the direction of bioengineering pioneer Edward W. Merrill. Subsequently, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Arteriosclerosis
Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
under world biomedical leaders Clark K. Colton, Kenneth A. Smith and Robert S. Lees.
He is the Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering
at the University of Texas at Austin
and Chairman of the Biomedical Engineering Department. He has been at the University of Texas at Austin
since December 2002 and is also serving as the Director of the Center of Biomaterials, Drug Delivery, Bionanotechnology and Molecular Recognition
with appointments in the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the College of Pharmacy
at the University of Texas at Austin
. Previously, he was the Showalter Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University
.
Peppas is a leading researcher
, inventor and pacesetter in the field of drug delivery
and controlled release
, a field that along with Robert Langer, he developed into a mature area of scholarly research
. He is also a leader in biomaterials and bionanotechnology, and has contributed seminal work in the fields of feedback controlled
biomedical devices and molecular recognition. The multidisciplinary approach of his research in bionanotechnology and biomolecular engineering blends modern molecular
and cellular biology with engineering
to generate the next-generation of medical systems and devices, including bioMEMS with enhanced applicability, reliability, functionality, and longevity. His contributions have been translated into more than twenty medical
products.
Peppas is a member of the US
Institute of Medicine
(IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences
, the US National Academy of Engineering
(NAE), the Académie Nationale of France, and the Academy of Medicine
, Engineering
and Sciences of Texas (TAMEST). He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Ghent (Belgium
, 1999), the University of Parma
(Italy
, 2000), and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
(Greece, 2000). He is one of five chemical engineers (the others being Frances Arnold of the California Institute of Technology
, Rakesh Jain
of Harvard, Robert Langer of MIT, and his former student Kristi Anseth
of the University of Colorado) and eight biomedical engineers to be active members in both the NAE and IOM.
He is President
of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering
(2008–2012) and serves as a Director of the Biomedical Engineering Society (2008–2011). He has served as the Chair of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE, 2006–2007), President of the Society for Biomaterials (SFB, 2003–2004), President of the Controlled Release Society (CRS, 1987–1988), Director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
(AIChE, 1999-2002), Chairman of the Materials Division of AIChE (1988–90) and Director of the Bioengineering Division of AIChE (1994–97). Peppas was Editor of the leading biomaterials science journal Biomaterials from 1982 to 2002. Presently, he is the Editor-in-Chief of the Wiley/SFB biomaterials Book Series, an Associate Editor of the AIChE Journal, an Associate Editor of Biomedical Microdevices, a Consulting Editor of Pharmaceutical Research and an Associate Editor of the Cambridge University Press Biomedical Series.
He is an inaugural Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, an inaugural Fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS), an inaugural Fellow of the CRS, a founding Fellow of AIMBE, a Fellow of the Society for Biomaterials
, a Fellow of the American Physical Society
, a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
, a Fellow of the American Society for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS), a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education
(ASEE) and an Honorary fellow of the Italian Society of Medicine
and Natural Sciences.
He has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Geneva
, University of Paris-Sud (Orsay
/Chatenay-Malabry
), University of Parma
, University of Pavia
, University of Naples Federico II
, Free University of Berlin
, University of Santiago de Compostela
, Complutense University of Madrid
, Hoshi University
, Tokyo, Hacettepe University
, Ankara, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
, Nanyang Technological University
, Singapore, and the California Institute of Technology
.
Peppas is a leading scientist of modern drug delivery
. He has helped to set the fundamentals and rational design of drug delivery systems and biomaterials over the past 35 years. He was the first to set the theories and equations that led to the design of a wide range of new systems. For example, using biomedical engineering principles and new biomedical transport theories, Peppas developed the equations that describe Fickian and non-Fickian diffusion of drugs, peptides and proteins in controlled release
devices. The “Peppas equation” has become the standard method of analysis of pharmaceutical formulations or systems. His earliest work also led to the development of a number of swelling-controlled release devices for the release of small molecular weight drugs. Using the modeling similarities of phase erosion
and state erosion, he developed a unified model for all drug delivery systems. Similarly, he developed the theoretical framework for the analysis of transport through crosslinked biomaterials (the Peppas-Reinhart theory, ion
ic hydrogels (the Brannon-Peppas theory), and gel
-tissue
interactions via tether
s (the Huang-Peppas theory and the Sahlin-Peppas equation). For the profound impact of these theories and analyses, Peppas has been recognized as the most cited and highly published author
in “drug delivery”, “biomaterials and drug delivery”, and “intelligent materials”. He is listed as a Highly Cited ResearcherSM of Thomson Scientific and the Institute of Scientific Information. He has also ranked as one of the most cited scientists and engineers with an H-index
of 81.
Applications of his theories and mathematical models have had a profound effect in the field. Peppas and his students originated the novel muco- and bioadhesive systems that interact molecularly with the mucus
and tissue
and have been able to prolong bioavailability of proteins and peptides in the blood
. As a result of his work, a number of biomedical polymers and commercial delivery devices have been launched. Peppas was the first to develop novel toxic-free poly(vinyl alcohol) gels by the freezing
-thawing technique in 1975. These gels became very successful articular
cartilage
replacement systems. In 1978, he developed the same systems for in situ replacement of vocal cords. In 1979 his group pioneered the use of hydrogels in drug delivery applications, including epidermal
bioadhesive systems and systems for the release of theophylline
, proxyphylline, diltiazem
, and oxprenolol
. Peppas’ lab
has developed new technologies
of oral delivery systems for insulin
and other proteins. These devices release insulin orally, “protecting” the insulin throughout its transport in the stomach
, upper small intestine
, and, eventually, blood, and bypassing diabetics’ need for several daily injections. The same technology has been used for the transmucosal (oral, buccal) delivery of calcitonin
(for treatment of osteoporosis
in postmenopausal women) and interferon-alpha (for cancer therapy), and is presently investigated for interferon-beta release for multiple sclerotic
patients. Peppas was one of the pioneers of intelligent biomaterials, and medical devices. Using intelligent polymers as early as 1980, Peppas and his group were the first to use such pH
-sensitive and temperature
-sensitive systems for modulated release of streptokinase
and other fibrinolytic
enzymes.
Peppas has founded three companies: Mimetic Solutions, a company that commercializes recognitive systems and is in the forefront of intelligent device and bioMEMs development, Appian Labs and CoraDyn Biosystems for the commercialization of various pharmaceutical
products and medical devices. He is the author of 1,100 publications, and numerous proceedings papers and abstracts. He is the coauthor or coeditor of 35 books, including the three-volume Hydrogels in Medicine and Pharmacy (CRC Press, 1987), the monograph
Pulsatile Drug Delivery (WSGS, Stuttgart, 1993), two books on Biopolymers (Springer, 1994), the monograph Molecular and Cellular Foundations of Biomaterials (Academic Press, 2004), the book Intelligent Therapeutics: Biomimetic Systems and Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery (Elsevier, 2004), the monograph Nanotechnology in Therapeutics (Horizon Press, 2007) and the book Chronobiology and Drug Delivery (Elsevier, 2007).
In addition, he has received the highest scientific recognitions from both Universities with which he has been associated:
In 2008 he was selected as one of the 100 Engineers of the Modern Era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
. In 1991, the journal
Polymer News recognized him as a polymer pioneer. Finally, in 2002, he was recognized as a biomedical pioneer by the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.
s, of which 38 are now professors in other Universities. Many others have become leading biomedical scientists, engineers, physicians and medical professionals. Peppas’ former students are affectionately called “peppamers”. Among the numerous graduates from his laboratories, there are some of the leaders of drug delivery
, biomaterials, bionanotechnology, polymer science
and pharmaceutical sciences including the NAE and IOM
member, HHMI Investigator and NSF Alan T. Waterman
, SFB Clemson and AIChE Colburn awards recipient Kristi Anseth of the University of Colorado
; the AIChE Colburn, Wilhelm and SFB Clemson awards recipient Christopher Bowman of the University of Colorado
; the Alpha Chi Sigma
, BMES and SFB Clemson awards recipient Antonios Mikos of Rice University
; the TR100
recipients Balaji Narasimhan of Iowa State University
, Anthony Lowman of Drexel University
and Surya Mallapragada of Iowa State University
; the ACS polymer award recipient Alec Scranton of the University of Iowa
, Robert Parker of the University of Pittsburgh
, the Fulbright Scholars Christopher Brazel of the University of Alabama
, Bruno Gander of ETH Zurich
, Madeline Torres-Lugo of the University of Puerto Rico
, Jürgen Siepmann of the University of Lille
, France
, Irma Sanchez of the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
, Todd Gehr, Chief of Nephrology
of the Virginia Commonwealth University
, Dukjoon Kim of the Sung Kyun Kwan University of Korea
, the AIChE ChE Practice award recipient Lisa Brannon of the University of Texas, Zach Hilt and Tom Dziubla of the University of Kentucky
, the ASEE ChE and Keillor awards recipient Jennifer Sinclair Curtis of the University of Florida
, Yanbin Huang of the Tsinghua University
, Mark Byrne of Auburn University
, Lisa Shieh of Stanford University
Medical School
, MyungCheon Lee of the Dongguk University
of Korea, Eurand award recipient Ruggero Bettini of the University of Parma
, Italy
, Esmaiel Jabbari
and Jay Blanchette of the University of South Carolina
, David Henthorn of the Missouri University of Science and Technology
, Eric Dietz of Purdue University
, Catherine Dubernet of the University of Paris-Sud, Jessica Guingrich of the Medical School of the University of Illinois, Ebru Oral of the Harvard Medical School
, Mara Lovrecich of the University of Padova, Hideki Ichikawa of the Kobe Gakuin University
, Bumsang Kim of the Hongik University
of Korea and Oya Sipahigil of the Marmara University
of Istanbul
.
and has published books and review articles on the subject. His latest review of the Centennial of AIChE was published by the Chemical Heritage Foundation
in August 2008. Peppas is also an avid record collector and author of biographies and monographs on opera. A recent book on Vasso Argyris: The Great Greek Tenor of the Interwar Years was published in 2008.
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
on August 25, 1948) is a chemical
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
and biomedical engineer
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
whose leadership in biomaterials science
Biomaterial
A biomaterial is any matter, surface, or construct that interacts with biological systems. The development of biomaterials, as a science, is about fifty years old. The study of biomaterials is called biomaterials science. It has experienced steady and strong growth over its history, with many...
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, drug delivery
Drug delivery
Drug delivery is the method or process of administering a pharmaceutical compound to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. Drug delivery technologies modify drug release profile, absorption, distribution and elimination for the benefit of improving product efficacy and safety, as well...
, bionanotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences
Pharmaceutical sciences
The pharmaceutical sciences are a group of interdisciplinary areas of study involved with the design, action, delivery, disposition, and use of drugs...
, chemical
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
and polymer engineering
Polymer engineering
Polymer engineering is generally an engineering field that designs, analyses, and/or modifies polymer materials. Polymer engineering covers aspects of petrochemical industry, polymerization, structure and characterization of polymers, properties of polymers, compounding and processing of polymers...
has led to numerous biomedical products or devices.
Education and work
He was educated in chemical engineering at the National Technical University of AthensNational Technical University of Athens
The National Technical University of Athens , sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece....
(D. Eng., 1971) and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(Sc.D., 1973) under the direction of bioengineering pioneer Edward W. Merrill. Subsequently, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis refers to a stiffening of arteries.Arteriosclerosis is a general term describing any hardening of medium or large arteries It should not be confused with "arteriolosclerosis" or "atherosclerosis".Also known by the name "myoconditis" which is...
Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
under world biomedical leaders Clark K. Colton, Kenneth A. Smith and Robert S. Lees.
He is the Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and Chairman of the Biomedical Engineering Department. He has been at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
since December 2002 and is also serving as the Director of the Center of Biomaterials, Drug Delivery, Bionanotechnology and Molecular Recognition
Molecular recognition
The term molecular recognition refers to the specific interaction between two or more molecules through noncovalent bonding such as hydrogen bonding, metal coordination, hydrophobic forces, van der Waals forces, π-π interactions, electrostatic and/or electromagnetic effects...
with appointments in the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the College of Pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. Previously, he was the Showalter Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
.
Peppas is a leading researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
, inventor and pacesetter in the field of drug delivery
Drug delivery
Drug delivery is the method or process of administering a pharmaceutical compound to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. Drug delivery technologies modify drug release profile, absorption, distribution and elimination for the benefit of improving product efficacy and safety, as well...
and controlled release
Controlled release
Controlled release is a term referring to the presentation or delivery of compounds in response to stimuli or time. This can be for purposes in several areas including agriculture, cosmetics and personal care, pharmaceuticals and food science. Most commonly it refers to time dependent release in...
, a field that along with Robert Langer, he developed into a mature area of scholarly research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
. He is also a leader in biomaterials and bionanotechnology, and has contributed seminal work in the fields of feedback controlled
Feedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
biomedical devices and molecular recognition. The multidisciplinary approach of his research in bionanotechnology and biomolecular engineering blends modern molecular
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
and cellular biology with engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
to generate the next-generation of medical systems and devices, including bioMEMS with enhanced applicability, reliability, functionality, and longevity. His contributions have been translated into more than twenty medical
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
products.
Peppas is a member of the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Institute of Medicine
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
(IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academies
The United States National Academies comprises four organizations:* National Academy of Sciences * National Academy of Engineering * Institute of Medicine * National Research Council...
, the US National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
(NAE), the Académie Nationale of France, and the Academy of Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and Sciences of Texas (TAMEST). He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Ghent (Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, 1999), the University of Parma
University of Parma
The University of Parma is one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in the 11th century. It is organised in twelve faculties. The University of Parma has currently about 30,000 students.-History:...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 2000), and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , usually referred to simply as the University of Athens, is the oldest university in Southeast Europe and has been in continuous operation since its establishment in 1837. Today, it is the second-largest institution of higher learning in Greece,...
(Greece, 2000). He is one of five chemical engineers (the others being Frances Arnold of the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, Rakesh Jain
Rakesh Jain
Rakesh K. Jain is the Andrew Werk Cook Professor of Tumor Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Jain primarily researches tumor pathophysiology...
of Harvard, Robert Langer of MIT, and his former student Kristi Anseth
Kristi Anseth
Kristi Anseth is a professor of chemical and biological engineering and a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She has pioneered the use of photopolymerization and hydrogels for tissue engineering of cartilage among other tissues.Kristi Anseth grew up in...
of the University of Colorado) and eight biomedical engineers to be active members in both the NAE and IOM.
He is President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering
Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering
In April 1992, the constituent biomaterials societies of the World Biomaterials Congress, now the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering experienced the need to recognize all their members who had a status of excellent professional standing and high achievements...
(2008–2012) and serves as a Director of the Biomedical Engineering Society (2008–2011). He has served as the Chair of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE, 2006–2007), President of the Society for Biomaterials (SFB, 2003–2004), President of the Controlled Release Society (CRS, 1987–1988), Director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers is a professional organization for chemical engineers.AIChE was established in 1908 with the purpose of establishing chemical engineers as a profession independent from chemists and mechanical engineers.As of 2010, AIChE had over 40,000 members,...
(AIChE, 1999-2002), Chairman of the Materials Division of AIChE (1988–90) and Director of the Bioengineering Division of AIChE (1994–97). Peppas was Editor of the leading biomaterials science journal Biomaterials from 1982 to 2002. Presently, he is the Editor-in-Chief of the Wiley/SFB biomaterials Book Series, an Associate Editor of the AIChE Journal, an Associate Editor of Biomedical Microdevices, a Consulting Editor of Pharmaceutical Research and an Associate Editor of the Cambridge University Press Biomedical Series.
He is an inaugural Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, an inaugural Fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS), an inaugural Fellow of the CRS, a founding Fellow of AIMBE, a Fellow of the Society for Biomaterials
Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering
In April 1992, the constituent biomaterials societies of the World Biomaterials Congress, now the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering experienced the need to recognize all their members who had a status of excellent professional standing and high achievements...
, a Fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
, a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers is a professional organization for chemical engineers.AIChE was established in 1908 with the purpose of establishing chemical engineers as a profession independent from chemists and mechanical engineers.As of 2010, AIChE had over 40,000 members,...
, a Fellow of the American Society for the Advancement of Science
Fellow of the AAAS
Fellow of the AAAS is an honor accorded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science to distinguished persons who are members of the Association. Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council for "efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications [which] are...
(AAAS), a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education
American Society for Engineering Education
The American Society for Engineering Education is a non-profit member association, founded in 1893, dedicated to promoting and improving engineering and engineering technology education....
(ASEE) and an Honorary fellow of the Italian Society of Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and Natural Sciences.
He has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
, University of Paris-Sud (Orsay
Orsay
Orsay is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the center of Paris.Inhabitants of Orsay are known as Orcéens.-History:...
/Chatenay-Malabry
Châtenay-Malabry
Châtenay-Malabry is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 10.8 km from the center of Paris.The commune includes the valley la vallée aux loups with green forests and pretty houses including the estate of French writer Chateaubriand. It also includes the Butte...
), University of Parma
University of Parma
The University of Parma is one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in the 11th century. It is organised in twelve faculties. The University of Parma has currently about 30,000 students.-History:...
, University of Pavia
University of Pavia
The University of Pavia is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. It was founded in 1361 and is organized in 9 Faculties.-History:...
, University of Naples Federico II
University of Naples Federico II
The University of Naples Federico II is a university located in Naples, Italy. It was founded in 1224 and is organized into 13 faculties. It is the world's oldest state university and one of the oldest academic institutions in continuous operation...
, Free University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
, University of Santiago de Compostela
University of Santiago de Compostela
The Royal University of Santiago de Compostela - USC is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. A second campus is located in Lugo, Galicia....
, Complutense University of Madrid
Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a university in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the neighboring city of...
, Hoshi University
Hoshi University
is a private university in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan, specializing in pharmaceutical sciences. The predecessor of the school was founded 1922. After becoming coeducational in 1946, it was chartered as a university in 1950....
, Tokyo, Hacettepe University
Hacettepe University
Hacettepe University is a major state university in Ankara, Turkey.The University has two main campuses. The first is located in the old town of Ankara and hosts the Medical Centre, and the second is the Beytepe Campus, which is 13 km from the city centre...
, Ankara, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
, Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
, Singapore, and the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
.
Peppas is a leading scientist of modern drug delivery
Drug delivery
Drug delivery is the method or process of administering a pharmaceutical compound to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. Drug delivery technologies modify drug release profile, absorption, distribution and elimination for the benefit of improving product efficacy and safety, as well...
. He has helped to set the fundamentals and rational design of drug delivery systems and biomaterials over the past 35 years. He was the first to set the theories and equations that led to the design of a wide range of new systems. For example, using biomedical engineering principles and new biomedical transport theories, Peppas developed the equations that describe Fickian and non-Fickian diffusion of drugs, peptides and proteins in controlled release
Controlled release
Controlled release is a term referring to the presentation or delivery of compounds in response to stimuli or time. This can be for purposes in several areas including agriculture, cosmetics and personal care, pharmaceuticals and food science. Most commonly it refers to time dependent release in...
devices. The “Peppas equation” has become the standard method of analysis of pharmaceutical formulations or systems. His earliest work also led to the development of a number of swelling-controlled release devices for the release of small molecular weight drugs. Using the modeling similarities of phase erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
and state erosion, he developed a unified model for all drug delivery systems. Similarly, he developed the theoretical framework for the analysis of transport through crosslinked biomaterials (the Peppas-Reinhart theory, ion
Ion
An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
ic hydrogels (the Brannon-Peppas theory), and gel
Gel
A gel is a solid, jelly-like material that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and tough. Gels are defined as a substantially dilute cross-linked system, which exhibits no flow when in the steady-state...
-tissue
Tissue (biology)
Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...
interactions via tether
Tether
A tether is a cord, fixture, or signal that anchors something movable to a reference point which may be fixed or moving. There are a number of applications for tethers: balloons, kites, tethered wind-energy conversion systems, anchors, tethered water-flow energy conversion systems, towing, animal...
s (the Huang-Peppas theory and the Sahlin-Peppas equation). For the profound impact of these theories and analyses, Peppas has been recognized as the most cited and highly published author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
in “drug delivery”, “biomaterials and drug delivery”, and “intelligent materials”. He is listed as a Highly Cited ResearcherSM of Thomson Scientific and the Institute of Scientific Information. He has also ranked as one of the most cited scientists and engineers with an H-index
H-index
The h-index is an index that attempts to measure both the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar. The index is based on the set of the scientist's most cited papers and the number of citations that they have received in other publications...
of 81.
Applications of his theories and mathematical models have had a profound effect in the field. Peppas and his students originated the novel muco- and bioadhesive systems that interact molecularly with the mucus
Mucus
In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. Mucous fluid is typically produced from mucous cells found in mucous glands. Mucous cells secrete products that are rich in glycoproteins and water. Mucous fluid may also originate from mixed glands, which...
and tissue
Tissue (biology)
Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...
and have been able to prolong bioavailability of proteins and peptides in the blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
. As a result of his work, a number of biomedical polymers and commercial delivery devices have been launched. Peppas was the first to develop novel toxic-free poly(vinyl alcohol) gels by the freezing
Freezing
Freezing or solidification is a phase change in which a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. The reverse process is melting....
-thawing technique in 1975. These gels became very successful articular
Joint
A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally.-Classification:...
cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
replacement systems. In 1978, he developed the same systems for in situ replacement of vocal cords. In 1979 his group pioneered the use of hydrogels in drug delivery applications, including epidermal
Epidermis (zoology)
The Epidermis is an epithelium that covers the body of an eumetazoan . Eumetazoa have a cavity lined with a similar epithelium, the gastrodermis, which forms a boundary with the epidermis at the mouth.Sponges have no epithelium, and therefore no epidermis or gastrodermis...
bioadhesive systems and systems for the release of theophylline
Theophylline
Theophylline, also known as dimethylxanthine, is a methylxanthine drug used in therapy for respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma under a variety of brand names. Because of its numerous side-effects, the drug is now rarely administered for clinical use. As a member of the xanthine family, it...
, proxyphylline, diltiazem
Diltiazem
Diltiazem is a non-dihydropyridine member of the class of drugs known as calcium channel blockers, used in the treatment of hypertension, angina pectoris, and some types of arrhythmia....
, and oxprenolol
Oxprenolol
Oxprenolol is a non-selective beta blocker with some intrinsic sympathomimetic activity...
. Peppas’ lab
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
has developed new technologies
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
of oral delivery systems for insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
and other proteins. These devices release insulin orally, “protecting” the insulin throughout its transport in the stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
, upper small intestine
Small intestine
The small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract following the stomach and followed by the large intestine, and is where much of the digestion and absorption of food takes place. In invertebrates such as worms, the terms "gastrointestinal tract" and "large intestine" are often used to...
, and, eventually, blood, and bypassing diabetics’ need for several daily injections. The same technology has been used for the transmucosal (oral, buccal) delivery of calcitonin
Calcitonin
Calcitonin is a 32-amino acid linear polypeptide hormone that is producedin humans primarily by the parafollicular cells of the thyroid, and in many other animals in the ultimobranchial body. It acts to reduce blood calcium , opposing the effects of parathyroid hormone . Calcitonin has been found...
(for treatment of osteoporosis
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is deteriorating, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone is altered...
in postmenopausal women) and interferon-alpha (for cancer therapy), and is presently investigated for interferon-beta release for multiple sclerotic
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
patients. Peppas was one of the pioneers of intelligent biomaterials, and medical devices. Using intelligent polymers as early as 1980, Peppas and his group were the first to use such pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
-sensitive and temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
-sensitive systems for modulated release of streptokinase
Streptokinase
Streptokinase , a protein secreted by several species of streptococci can bind and activate human plasminogen. SK is used as an effective and inexpensive thrombolysis medication in some cases of myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism...
and other fibrinolytic
Fibrinolysis
Fibrinolysis is a process that prevents blood clots from growing and becoming problematic. This process has two types: primary fibrinolysis and secondary fibrinolysis...
enzymes.
Peppas has founded three companies: Mimetic Solutions, a company that commercializes recognitive systems and is in the forefront of intelligent device and bioMEMs development, Appian Labs and CoraDyn Biosystems for the commercialization of various pharmaceutical
Pharmaceutics
Pharmaceutics is the discipline of pharmacy that deals with all facets of the process of turning a new chemical entity into a medication able to be safely and effectively used by patients in the community. Pharmaceutics is the science of dosage form design...
products and medical devices. He is the author of 1,100 publications, and numerous proceedings papers and abstracts. He is the coauthor or coeditor of 35 books, including the three-volume Hydrogels in Medicine and Pharmacy (CRC Press, 1987), the monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
Pulsatile Drug Delivery (WSGS, Stuttgart, 1993), two books on Biopolymers (Springer, 1994), the monograph Molecular and Cellular Foundations of Biomaterials (Academic Press, 2004), the book Intelligent Therapeutics: Biomimetic Systems and Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery (Elsevier, 2004), the monograph Nanotechnology in Therapeutics (Horizon Press, 2007) and the book Chronobiology and Drug Delivery (Elsevier, 2007).
Awards
He has been awarded more than 100 international awards. These include:- the highest distinction from the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (the Pierre Galletti Award (2008))
- the highest distinctions of the Society for Biomaterials (the Founders Award for Lifetime Contributions (2005), the William Hall Award for Service (2010) and the Clemson Award for Basic Research (1992))
- the Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal (2010)
- the highest recognition from the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA Distinguished Scientist Award (2010))
- the highest research recognitions from the American Institute of Chemical EngineersAmerican Institute of Chemical EngineersThe American Institute of Chemical Engineers is a professional organization for chemical engineers.AIChE was established in 1908 with the purpose of establishing chemical engineers as a profession independent from chemists and mechanical engineers.As of 2010, AIChE had over 40,000 members,...
(the Founders Award (2008), the 59th Institute Lecture (2007), the William Walker Award (2006)) as well as the Food, Pharmaceuticals and Bioengineering Award (1991) and the CMA Stine Materials Science and Engineering Award (1984) - the Jay Bailey Award from the Society for Biological Engineering (2006)
- the highest recognitions of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (the 2002 Dale E. Wurster Award in Pharmaceutics, and the 1999 Research Achievement Award in Pharmaceutical Technology)
- the highest recognitions of the Controlled Release Society (the 1991 Founders Award and the 2002 Eurand Award for Outstanding Contributions in Oral Drug Delivery)
- the highest recognition from the European Pharmaceutical Associations, APGI, APV and ADRITELF (2010 the Maurice-Marie Janot Award)
- the highest recognitions of the American Society for Engineering EducationAmerican Society for Engineering EducationThe American Society for Engineering Education is a non-profit member association, founded in 1893, dedicated to promoting and improving engineering and engineering technology education....
(the 2000 General Electric Senior Research Award recognizing the best engineering researcher of the USA), as well as the 1992 George Westinghouse Award recognizing the best teacher, the 1988 Curtis McGraw Award for best engineering research under the age of 40, and the 2006 Dow Chemical Engineering Award - the 2002 Newsmaker of the Year Award of the American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
In addition, he has received the highest scientific recognitions from both Universities with which he has been associated:
- the 2007 Career Excellence Research Award from the University of Texas at Austin (first engineer in the history of the award)
- the 2004 Hamilton Award for best paper from the University of Texas at Austin
- the 2002 Sigma XiSigma XiSigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
Award for Best Research from Purdue University - the 2000 McCoy Award from Purdue University (second engineer in the 40 year history of the award)
In 2008 he was selected as one of the 100 Engineers of the Modern Era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers is a professional organization for chemical engineers.AIChE was established in 1908 with the purpose of establishing chemical engineers as a profession independent from chemists and mechanical engineers.As of 2010, AIChE had over 40,000 members,...
. In 1991, the journal
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Polymer News recognized him as a polymer pioneer. Finally, in 2002, he was recognized as a biomedical pioneer by the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.
Researchers under his supervision
Peppas has supervised more than 690 researchers, visiting scientists and graduate students including 86 PhDPHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
s, of which 38 are now professors in other Universities. Many others have become leading biomedical scientists, engineers, physicians and medical professionals. Peppas’ former students are affectionately called “peppamers”. Among the numerous graduates from his laboratories, there are some of the leaders of drug delivery
Drug delivery
Drug delivery is the method or process of administering a pharmaceutical compound to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. Drug delivery technologies modify drug release profile, absorption, distribution and elimination for the benefit of improving product efficacy and safety, as well...
, biomaterials, bionanotechnology, polymer science
Polymer science
Polymer science or macromolecular science is the subfield of materials science concerned with polymers, primarily synthetic polymers such as plastics...
and pharmaceutical sciences including the NAE and IOM
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
member, HHMI Investigator and NSF Alan T. Waterman
Alan T. Waterman Award
The Alan T. Waterman Award is the United States's highest honorary award for scientists no older than 35. It is awarded on a yearly basis by the National Science Foundation. In addition to the medal, the awardee receives a grant of $500,000 to be used for advanced scientific research at the...
, SFB Clemson and AIChE Colburn awards recipient Kristi Anseth of the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
; the AIChE Colburn, Wilhelm and SFB Clemson awards recipient Christopher Bowman of the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
; the Alpha Chi Sigma
Alpha Chi Sigma
Alpha Chi Sigma is a professional fraternity specializing in the field of chemistry. It has both collegiate and professional chapters throughout the United States consisting of both men and women and numbering more than 63,400 members...
, BMES and SFB Clemson awards recipient Antonios Mikos of Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
; the TR100
TR35
The TR35 is an annual list published by MIT Technology Review magazine, naming the world's top 35 innovators under the age of 35.Some of the most famous winners of the award include Larry Page and Sergey Brin , Linus Torvalds , Jerry Yang , Jonathan Ive , Mark Zuckerberg...
recipients Balaji Narasimhan of Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
, Anthony Lowman of Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
and Surya Mallapragada of Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
; the ACS polymer award recipient Alec Scranton of the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, Robert Parker of the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, the Fulbright Scholars Christopher Brazel of the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, Bruno Gander of ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
, Madeline Torres-Lugo of the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
, Jürgen Siepmann of the University of Lille
University of Lille
The original university in the Lille region of France was the University of Douai established in 1559 in Douai and that was moved to Lille in 1887.University campuses in the Academy of Lille are members of the Université Lille Nord de France and European Doctoral College Lille Nord-Pas de...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Irma Sanchez of the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Todd Gehr, Chief of Nephrology
Nephrology
Nephrology is a branch of internal medicine and pediatrics dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney.-Scope of the specialty:...
of the Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
, Dukjoon Kim of the Sung Kyun Kwan University of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, the AIChE ChE Practice award recipient Lisa Brannon of the University of Texas, Zach Hilt and Tom Dziubla of the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, the ASEE ChE and Keillor awards recipient Jennifer Sinclair Curtis of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, Yanbin Huang of the Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
, Mark Byrne of Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
, Lisa Shieh of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
Medical School
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
, MyungCheon Lee of the Dongguk University
Dongguk University
Dongguk University is a private, coeducational university in South Korea. It operates campuses in Seoul, in Gyeongju City, North Gyeongsang province and in Los Angeles, United States...
of Korea, Eurand award recipient Ruggero Bettini of the University of Parma
University of Parma
The University of Parma is one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in the 11th century. It is organised in twelve faculties. The University of Parma has currently about 30,000 students.-History:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Esmaiel Jabbari
Esmaiel Jabbari
Esmaiel Jabbari is Associate Professor at University of South Carolina. He is internationally known for his research in the area of biomimetic materials for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications. He has developed novel conjugated nanoparticles for targeting tumors and sustained protein...
and Jay Blanchette of the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, David Henthorn of the Missouri University of Science and Technology
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Missouri University of Science and Technology is an institution of higher learning located in Rolla, Missouri, United States, and part of the University of Missouri System...
, Eric Dietz of Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, Catherine Dubernet of the University of Paris-Sud, Jessica Guingrich of the Medical School of the University of Illinois, Ebru Oral of the Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, Mara Lovrecich of the University of Padova, Hideki Ichikawa of the Kobe Gakuin University
Kobe Gakuin University
is a private, co-educational university located on the western edge of the city of Kobe, in Hyōgo Prefecture in Japan. It was founded in 1966 and overlooks the city of Akashi, the Akashi Straits and the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge - the longest suspension bridge in the world...
, Bumsang Kim of the Hongik University
Hongik University
Hongik University, usually known as "Hongdae" for short, is a private university in the Mapo-gu district of central Seoul, South Korea with a second campus in Jochiwon, Chungcheongnam-do. Hongik University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs...
of Korea and Oya Sipahigil of the Marmara University
Marmara University
Marmara University is a public university in Turkey. Situated in Istanbul, Marmara University has succeeded in becoming the second largest university in the whole country...
of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
Personal life
Nicholas Peppas and his wife, Lisa, whom he met at Purdue University where she received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, have two children, Katherine and Alexander. They reside in Austin, Texas. Peppas is involved in writing about the history of chemical engineeringChemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
and has published books and review articles on the subject. His latest review of the Centennial of AIChE was published by the Chemical Heritage Foundation
Chemical Heritage Foundation
The Chemical Heritage Foundation is a library, museum, and archive in Philadelphia that was founded in 1982. Its founding president was Arnold Thackray, who was winner of the Dexter Award in 1983, and who continued to serve as president thru 2009....
in August 2008. Peppas is also an avid record collector and author of biographies and monographs on opera. A recent book on Vasso Argyris: The Great Greek Tenor of the Interwar Years was published in 2008.
See also
- List of MIT alumni
- List of chemical engineers
- List of Greek Americans
- List of University of Texas at Austin faculty
- National Technical University of AthensNational Technical University of AthensThe National Technical University of Athens , sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece....
- Biomedical EngineeringBiomedical engineeringBiomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...