Melissa Grunlan
{{Short description|American scientist}}
{{Infobox academic
| name = Melissa Grunlan
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| image_size = 230px
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| birth_place = Bismarck, North Dakota, US
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| education = BSc, Chemistry, MSc, Polymers and Coatings, 1997, North Dakota State University
PhD, Chemistry, 2004, University of Southern California
| thesis_title = Crosslinked siloxanes: preparation and properties
| thesis_year = 2004
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| website = {{URL|grunlanresearchgroup.org}}
| workplaces = Texas A&M University
}}
Melissa A. Grunlan (nee Deisz) is an American scientist and academic. She is Professor and Holder of the Charles H. and Bettye Barclay Professorship in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University. She holds courtesy appointments in the Departments of Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering. Her research focuses on the development of polymeric biomaterials for regenerative engineering and medical devices.
Grunlan is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the ACS PMSE Division, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). She is a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Grunlan serves as an Associate Editor for ACS Macro Letters.
Early life and education
Grunlan was born to parents Mike and Angie Deisz in Bismarck, North Dakota.{{cite news |title=Diesz earns NASA prize |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100259285/diesz-earns-nasa-prize/ |access-date=April 22, 2022 |publisher=The Bismarck Tribune |date=December 18, 1994 |via=newspapers.com}} As a student at St. Mary's Central High School, she was a member of the National Honor Society for three years.{{cite news |title=St. Mary's Central High School |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100259512/st-marys-central-high-school/ |access-date=April 22, 2022 |publisher=The Bismarck Tribune |date=May 16, 1991 |via=newspapers.com}} Grunlan graduated with honors from St. Mary's in 1991. While completing her Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at North Dakota State University, Grunlan received a NASA research fellowship to assist her studies in synthetic organic research. Upon graduating with her BSc and master's degree, Grunlan was employed at the H.B. Fuller Company for four years and then enrolled at the University of Southern California for her PhD in chemistry.{{cite web |title=Melissa A. Grunlan |url=https://engineering.tamu.edu/biomedical/profiles/grunlan-melissa-a.html |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=April 22, 2022}} She received a Doctoral Dissertation Award from USC's college of letters, arts, and sciences.{{Cite web |title=Student News |url=https://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/1/docs/news_events/2010/03/Spring2006.pdf}} Following her PhD, Grunlan was a post-doctoral fellow in the department of chemistry at Texas A&M University.{{cite web |title=THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM MEETING OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS |url=https://assets.system.tamus.edu/files/bor/pdf/agendaarchive/2011-03/electronicbook%20(3-24-2011).pdf |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=April 22, 2022 |date=March 2011}}
Career
Following her PhD and post-doctoral fellowship, Grunlan joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M as a tenure track assistant professor in August 2005. As a professor in this department, she focused on tailoring polymer structures at the molecular level to improve their utility in medical devices. In recognition of her research, she was awarded a 2010–11 Herbert H. Richardson Faculty Fellow Award.{{cite web |title=Texas A & M Engineering honors faculty for excellence in teaching, research and service |url=https://www.eeworldonline.com/texas-a-m-engineering-honors-faculty-for-excellence-in-teaching-research-and-service/ |publisher=Electrical Engineering News and Products |access-date=April 22, 2022 |date=May 6, 2011}} She has worked on the development of "self-cleaning membranes" to enable the development of subcutaneous glucose biosensors.{{cite news |last1=Nortman |first1=Katie |title=Self-cleaning membrane aids in diabetic research |url=https://www.thebatt.com/news/self-cleaning-membrane-aids-in-diabetic-research/article_bf4d64cc-0305-5d1b-b571-8a7d46d7a346.html |access-date=April 22, 2022 |publisher=The Battalion |date=January 22, 2013}}{{cite news |last1=Grinovich |first1=Zach |title=A&M diabetes research could end painful insulin tests |url=https://www.thebatt.com/science-technology/a-m-diabetes-research-could-end-painful-insulin-tests/article_758a325e-e70b-11e4-9e17-8347675638ce.html |access-date=April 22, 2022 |publisher=The Battalion |date=April 19, 2015}} Grunlan was soon appointed the director of undergraduate programs in biomedical engineering.{{cite web |title=Distinguished Achievement Award Winners |url=https://www.aggienetwork.com/tribute/tributelist/?exhibitId=18&pageNum=14&pageSize=30&sort=lastName&desc=False |publisher=The Association of Former Students |access-date=April 22, 2022}} In 2014, Grunlan created a polymer foam to precisely fill a bone defect before hardening into a porous in order to treat facial defects.{{cite web |title=New material could enable new facial reconstruction treatment |url=https://phys.org/news/2014-10-material-enable-facial-reconstruction-treatment.html |publisher=Phys.org |access-date=April 22, 2022 |date=October 1, 2014}}
By 2017, Grunlan's laboratory focused on developing new polymeric biomaterials for medical devices and regenerative therapies. As an associate professor, she continued work on developing self-cleaning membranes for implanted biosensors, clot-resistant coatings for blood-contacting devices, and scaffolds for bone repair and for the regeneration of osteochondral interfaces. As such, she was named among the inaugural class of Texas A&M's Presidential Impact Fellows.{{cite web |title=Engineering faculty among inaugural class of Texas A&M's Presidential Impact Fellows |url=https://engineering.tamu.edu/news/2017/03/engineering-faculty-among-inaugural-class-of-texas-ams-presidential-impact-fellows.html |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=April 22, 2022 |date=March 10, 2017}} The following year, Grunlan was recognized as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering for "outstanding contributions for the development of polymeric biomaterials for medical devices and regenerative engineering scaffolds."{{cite web |title=Dr. Melissa Grunlan Inducted into Medical and Biological Engineering Elite |url=https://aimbe.org/college-of-fellows/cof-3048/ |publisher=American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering |access-date=April 22, 2022 |date=April 10, 2018}}
Outside of Texas A&M, Grunlan has been recognized for her work developing synthetic polymeric biomaterials for implanted medical devices and for regenerative engineering. In 2019, Grunlan was recognized as a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS) for her research on regenerative medicine, specifically to develop tissue engineering scaffolds that can help heal orthopedic tissues.{{cite web |last1=Reiley |first1=Jennifer |title=Grunlan named American Chemical Society Fellow |url=https://engineering.tamu.edu/news/2019/10/grunlan-named-american-chemical-society-fellow.html |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=April 22, 2022 |date=October 23, 2019}} The following year, she was named the 2020 Chancellor Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship Fellow.{{cite web |title=Engineering faculty named Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship fellows |url=https://engineering.tamu.edu/news/2020/10/engineering-faculty-named-enhancing-development-and-generating-excellence-in-scholarship-fellows.html |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=April 22, 2022 |date=October 14, 2020}} After serving as 2018 Chair for ACS' Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division, Grunlan was recognized with their 2021 Distinguished Service Award.{{cite web |title=2021 PMSE Distinguished Service Award to Melissa Grunlan |url=https://pmsedivision.org/2021/03/2021-pmse-distinguished-service-award-to-melissa-grunlan/ |publisher=American Chemical Society |access-date=April 22, 2022 |date=March 14, 2021}} In she was also named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors{{cite web |title=Engineering faculty named National Academy of Inventors Senior Members |url=https://engineering.tamu.edu/news/2022/02/coe-engineering-faculty-named-national-academy-of-inventors-senior-members.html |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=April 22, 2022 |date=February 11, 2022}} and became a Fellow of the ACS' Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division.{{Cite web |title=PMSE Fellows |url=https://pmsedivision.org/pmse-fellows/}}
Awards and honors
Holder of the Charles H. and Bettye Barclay Professorship in Engineering, 2018 – present
Fellow, American Chemical Society (ACS) (Inducted 2019)
Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) (Inducted 2018)
Fellow, ACS Division of Polymeric Materials Science & Engineering (PMSE) (inducted 2022)
Fellow, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) (inducted 2022)
Senior Member, National Academy of Inventors (NAI) (inducted 2022)
Doctoral Research Award (University of Southern California, College of Letters, Arts & Sciences; 2005)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Google Scholar id |WiY8SLMAAAAJ}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grunlan, Melissa}}
Category:American chemical engineers
Category:21st-century American women engineers
Category:21st-century American engineers
Category:Fellows of the American Chemical Society
Category:Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
Category:North Dakota State University alumni
Category:People from Bismarck, North Dakota
Category:Texas A&M University faculty