Robert Langer
Professor Bob Langer received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at MIT and started his tenure as an assistant professor in 1978. Dr. Langer’s patents have been licensed or sublicensed to over 400 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device companies. He is the most cited engineer in history (h-index 283 with over 331,000 citations according to Google Scholar). He has been awarded over 220 major awards and have received both the United States National Medal of Science (2006) and the United States National Medal of Technology and Innovation (2011). In addition, he is the youngest person to be inducted to all three American science academies (the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine). Professor Langer is regarded as the founder of tissue engineering in regenerative medicine. He and the researchers in his lab have made advances in tissue engineering, such as the creation of engineered blood vessels and vascularized engineered muscle tissue. Professor Langer’s work has allowed him to build several companies, including Moderna, one of the companies that has provided FDA-approved vaccine for COVID-19.