Kristi Anseth recognized with international VinFuture Prize for Women Innovators
Kristi Anseth,a Distinguished Professor and Tisone Professor in theDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering,has been awarded the prestigious in recognition of her pioneering research in tissue engineering. Winners were selected from nearly 1,500 scientific nominations spanning more than 80 countries and territories worldwide.
Anseth, also the associate faculty director of ҴýƽBioFrontiers Institute, said she wasdeeply honored to receive the recognition.
“It is one that I will cherish for years to come,” said Anseth after being presented with the award Dec. 6 atthe2024 VinFuture Prize Award Ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam. “I thank the VinFuture Foundation for sponsoring this award to highlight the innovation of women in science and engineering.”
Anseth designs biomaterials that interact with living tissues to promote repair and regeneration, aiding in healing injuries and diseases. Her lab works with hydrogels—a degradable biomaterial—to deliver molecules at the right time and sequence to accelerate the healing process. Her team is also growing miniaturized versions of heart cells and tissues, known as organoids, to better understand disease mechanisms and explore new types of heart disease treatments, such as to repair heart muscles after heart attacks.
Anseth said she has been fortunate to work in the dynamic and evolving field of biomaterials and to be working at Ҵýƽ.
“The translation of bioengineering across biology and medicine remains a frontier with many opportunities to explore,” she said. "I believe that many of the major breakthroughs in the next decade will continue at this interface and lead to improvements in healthcare for people everywhere.
“Ҵýƽ has provided an amazing environment for a nearly 30-year career.I started as a faculty member in 1996, and the community of faculty and students has been an amazing environment to support my own learning and creativity. What’s the phrase—'minds to match our mountains’? I feel fortunate to be surrounded by exceptional people.”