image: Kytai Nguyen, a professor in the Bioengineering Department at The University of Texas at Arlington, has been named a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. view more
Credit: UTA
Kytai Nguyen, a professor in the Bioengineering Department at The University of Texas at Arlington, has been named a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Nguyen joined the UTA College of Engineering in 2005 and has secured more than $2 million in research funding during her career. Her work is focused on nanomaterials - specifically nanocomposites and nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery, hydrogels and scaffolds for tissue engineering. She has authored or co-authored more than 60 highly-cited publications and has also mentored dozens of graduate and undergraduate students during her tenure at UTA.
Nguyen will be formally inducted into the Institute's College of Fellows March 19 during a ceremony at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.
"This fellowship is very special for me as it recognizes my accomplishments in the field of bioengineering," Nguyen said. "I would like to make special mention of my undergraduate mentor at the University of Minnesota, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Bioengineering Department Head Robert Tranquillo, and my doctoral advisors at Rice, Professor Larry McIntire (now the Wallace H. Coulter Chair Emeritus at Georgia Tech) and Research Scientist Suzanne Eskin. Their guidance, encouragement and support helped me throughout my academic career. Of course, I would like to acknowledge my current and former students. With their collaborative and intelligent contributions, we have been able to make significant impacts in nanomaterials for controlled drug delivery and tissue engineering applications."
Nguyen joins Michael Cho, chair of the UTA Bioengineering Department, and UTA bioengineering professors Khosrow Behbehani, who previously served as dean of engineering and chair of the Bioengineering Department, Charles Chuong, Hanli Liu, and Liping Tang as fellows of AIMBE.
"I am delighted to learn that Dr. Nguyen has been elected Fellow of AIMBE," Cho said. "The College of Fellows represents accomplished and distinguished biomedical engineers who are responsible for amazing innovation and discovery. Kytai's election reflects and acknowledges the tremendous contributions she has made to the field of nanobiomaterials. I know no one more deserving of this recognition."
Nguyen also credited her colleagues and UTA administrators for their encouragement and support.
The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering represents 50,000 individuals and the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers. The College of Fellows consists of the top 2 percent of AIMBE members
Nguyen is also a fellow of the American Heart Association. She was awarded the inaugural Embracing Challenge Award from Materials Today magazine and the Elsevier Materials Science Council in 2016.
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About The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a Carnegie Research-1 "highest research activity" institution. With a projected global enrollment of close to 57,000 in AY 2016-17, UTA is the largest institution in The University of Texas System. Guided by its Strategic Plan Bold Solutions | Global Impact, UTA fosters interdisciplinary research within four broad themes: health and the human condition, sustainable urban communities, global environmental impact, and data-driven discovery. UTA was recently cited by U.S. News & World Report as having the second lowest average student debt among U.S. universities. U.S. News & World Report also ranks UTA fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. The University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times' 2017 Best for Vets list.