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Mooney to receive Mid-Career Researcher Award for pioneering contributions in biomaterials

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2018

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Society News
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MRS Bulletin , Volume 43 , Issue 3: Materials for Energy Harvesting , March 2018 , pp. 230 - 231
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Copyright © Materials Research Society 2018 

The Materials Research Society (MRS) has named David Mooney, Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering and Core Faculty Member, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, to receive the Mid-Career Researcher Award “for pioneering contributions to the field of biomaterials, especially in the incorporation of biological design principles into materials and the use of biomaterials in mechanobiology, tissue engineering and therapeutics.” Mooney will be recognized during the Awards Ceremony Wednesday, April 4 at the PCC, and will present his talk (Symposium X presentation) Thursday, April 5 during the 2018 MRS Spring Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz.

Mooney’s research is driven by the question of how mammalian cells receive information from the materials in their environment. By utilizing the tools of cell and molecular biology, he studies the mechanisms by which chemical (e.g., specific cell adhesion molecules) or mechanical signals (e.g., cyclic strain) are sensed by cells, and alters their proliferation and specialization to either promote tissue growth or destruction.

Mooney uses the results from these studies to design and synthesize new biomaterials that regulate the gene expression of interacting cells for a variety of tissue-engineering and drug delivery projects. Current projects focus on therapeutic angiogenesis, regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues, and cancer therapies.

Mooney received his BS degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and his PhD degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His contributions have led to a variety of honors, including election to both the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine, the Society for Biomaterials Clemson Award, the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award, NIH MERIT Award, Nature Biotechnology SciCafe Award, Einstein Visiting Fellow, and Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He is only the second individual to win both of Harvard’s main teaching awards—the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award (Harvard Graduate Student Council) and Phi Beta Kappa Prize for Excellence in Teaching (Harvard College).

The Mid-Career Research Award, endowed by MilliporeSigma (Sigma-Aldrich Materials Science), recognizes exceptional achievements in materials research.