​Erin Lavik is a Professor of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development in the College of Engineering and Information Technology. Dr. Lavik’s research focuses on engineering polymers to protect and repair the nervous system and treat trauma more broadly. The projects in the lab include developing intravenously administered nanoparticles to stop internal bleeding, drug delivery systems for diseases of the eye, and printing tissue models for high throughput screening applications. She also developed a materials class that teaches materials science in the context of the stories of the scientists who did the work and concepts of social justice. She collaborates with the theater department on a program to train UMBC students to work with middle schoolers to dramatize their science modules. In 2022-2023, Dr. Lavik is on a AAAS Science Policy Fellowship at the Office of Advanced Manufacturing at NIST where she is working on policy around education and workforce development across the 16 manufacturing institutes of Manufacturing USA.

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Dr. Lavik received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from MIT in Materials Science and Engineering. She has won awards including the TR100 award in 2003 and the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award in 2010. She became at Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers in 2014 of the Biomedical Engineering Society in 2019. She is an Associate Editor at Bioconjugate Chemistry. Beyond her research, Dr. Lavik has developed classes including Applied Tissue Engineering where the students make and test artificial arteries and learn about the issues involved in translating the technologies from the bench to patients as well as a version of thermo that incorporates improvisational techniques to foster discussions about the concepts. She has also developed a materials class that teaches materials science in the context of the stories of the scientists who did the work and concepts of social justice. She collaborates with the theater department on a program to train UMBC students to work with middle schoolers to dramatize their science modules.

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She is the inaugural Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development in the College of Engineering and Information Technology at UMBC and a Professor of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering. During her time as Associate Dean, our Research Expenditures grew significantly, and several of our extraordinary faculty secured major research awards including NSF CAREER awards. She is passionate about helping researchers find collaborators and build successful research programs.

 

In her research group, they work to develop new nanomaterials to control bleeding and deliver drugs to treat trauma in austere conditions. They want to make treatments that are safe, effective, and accessible to the broadest population possible. The projects in the lab include developing intravenously administered nanoparticles to stop internal bleeding, drug delivery systems for diseases of the eye, and printing tissue models for high throughput screening applications.

 

She is thrilled to have the opportunity to be a AAAS Policy fellow to learn more about manufacturing, science policy, and workforce development. This has been one of the most extraordinary learning opportunities of her career, and she hopes to be able to help have a bigger positive impact in this role and the next steps in her career than she can have in her lab or as an associate dean.

 

She has also developed a materials class that teaches materials science in the context of the stories of the scientists who did the work and concepts of social justice. She has also collaborated with the Theatre department to run a workshop that incorporates vocal exercises, playwriting, and improve to help students find joy and build their science identities.

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