Dr. Jennifer West is a distinguished leader in biomedical engineering and academic administration, currently serving as the Dean of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia, where she is the first woman to hold this position in the school's history. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S. 1992) and the University of Texas at Austin (Ph.D. 1996), she built her academic career through significant appointments at Rice University and Duke University, where she served as the Fitzpatrick Family University Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Associate Dean for Ph.D. Education. Her professional journey has been marked by a steady rise through academic leadership roles while maintaining an active research program that bridges engineering and medicine. As Dean of Engineering at UVA, West has established key priorities focused on enhancing the school's research trajectory, expanding experiential learning opportunities for students, and creating clear pathways to entrepreneurship for faculty and students.
Dr. West's pioneering research in nanotechnology-based cancer therapies has generated significant impact through her co-invention of nanoparticle-mediated photothermal therapy, which employs gold nanoshells to selectively destroy tumor cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Her seminal 2003 paper describing nanoshells composed of silica cores with gold shells that could be activated by near-infrared light has been cited over 4,200 times, establishing photothermal therapy as a promising approach for cancer treatment worldwide. She has also made substantial contributions to biomaterials science through innovative microfabrication strategies for three-dimensional biomimetic patterning that accurately recapitulates in vivo vascular architecture. With more than 20 patents licensed to ten different companies, including Nanospectra Biosciences which she co-founded, her work has successfully translated from laboratory innovation to clinical application, with a cancer therapy she invented now in human clinical trials.
As a dedicated mentor and educator, West has trained 45 graduate students and 23 postdoctoral fellows throughout her career, with her mentorship philosophy emphasizing career development and fostering diversity in the scientific community. She holds appointments in the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors, recognition of her transformative contributions to biomedical engineering and cancer therapeutics. Her leadership extends beyond academia as she has served as Chair of Frontiers of Engineering at the National Academy of Engineers and has been instrumental in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within engineering education. Currently at UVA, West continues to champion innovation in engineering education while maintaining her research program that applies engineering approaches to solve critical medical challenges through advances in nanotechnology and biomaterials.
