Now in its sixth year of exploring the intersection between biology and engineering, the Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center has chosen Caltech professor Frances Arnold as its new director. Arnold, the Dick and Barbara Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry began her tenure as director on June 1.
A recipient of the 2011 National Medal of Technology and Innovation, Arnold pioneered methods of "directed evolution" – processes now widely used to create biological catalysts that are important in the production of fuels from renewable resources. She was selected for the directorship because "of her demonstrated leadership in the field of bioengineering," says Stephen Mayo, William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation Chair of the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering.
The Rosen Center supports bioengineering research through the funding of fellows and faculty from many disciplines, including applied physics, chemical engineering, synthetic biology, and computer science.
"Bioengineering is an incredibly exciting field right now," Arnold says. "Solutions to some of the biggest problems in science, medicine, and sustainability will come from the interface between biology and engineering, and Caltech is well positioned to be at the forefront. The Rosen Center will help make that happen with innovative programs for bioengineering research and education."
Written by Jessica Stoller-Conrad