By Cristina D’Imperio
McGowan affiliated faculty Prashant N. Kumta, PhD, has been named Distinguished Professor of Bioengineering by the University of Pittsburgh. A Distinguished Professorship is the highest honor that the University of Pittsburgh confers upon faculty members and honors extraordinary, internationally recognized scholarly attainment.
Among Dr. Kumta’s professional achievements are 333 peer-reviewed articles and 42 patents. He has served as a mentor to 45 pre-doctoral graduate students and 34 post-doctoral researchers. While at Pitt, he has secured $32.7 million in funding.
“Professor Kumta has had, and continues to have, a distinguished academic career. His rare expertise of working at the intersection of energy storage/conversion science and technology, biomaterials/biotechnology, and bioengineering places him in a class of his own,” said Sanjeev Shroff, Interim U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering, in an interview with the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. “I am delighted that Pitt has bestowed on him this well-deserved honor in recognition of his outstanding research, educational, mentoring, and professional service contributions, and I am proud to be his colleague.”
Dr. Kumta’s work includes developing novel affordable and scalable ways to create nanostructured materials for high-performance lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. In the 1990s, as Li-ion batteries were about to be commercialized, Dr. Kumta’s innovations led to a partnership with Energizer, one of the leading battery companies in the U.S.
In terms of biomaterials and biotechnology, Dr. Kumta invented “NanoCaPs,” nanostructured complexes made of calcium phosphate. These can promote bone regeneration by delivering plasmid genes and growth factors.
“I was absolutely delighted and thrilled to learn that I would be receiving this honor,” Dr. Kumta told the Swanson School of Engineering. “I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of everyone who contributed, including my students, postdocs, research faculty, colleagues, and, of course, those who set this in motion by nominating me.”
“This isn’t the end,” he continued. “I see this as a source of inspiration to continue to help the School in whatever way I can. I hope we can keep on climbing. I don’t look at this honor as an endpoint, but as an inspiration for more good things to come.”
Click here to read the full article at the Swanson School of Engineering.