Melissa Grunlan facts for kids

Melissa Grunlan is a smart American scientist and professor. She teaches at Texas A&M University in a special department called Biomedical Engineering. She also works with the Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering departments. Her main job is to create new materials, called polymeric biomaterials, that can be used to fix parts of the body or make medical devices better.

Professor Grunlan is a respected member of many important science groups. These include the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). She is also a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). She helps edit a science magazine called ACS Macro Letters.

Early Life and Education

Melissa Grunlan was born in Bismarck, North Dakota. When she was a student at St. Mary's Central High School, she was part of the National Honor Society. She graduated with high honors in 1991.

She went to North Dakota State University to study chemistry. While there, she received a special research grant from NASA. This helped her study how to make new chemical compounds. After earning her bachelor's and master's degrees, she worked for a company for four years.

Later, she went to the University of Southern California to get her PhD in chemistry. She even won an award for her research there. After finishing her PhD, she continued her research at Texas A&M University as a post-doctoral fellow.

Her Work as a Professor

After her studies, Professor Grunlan joined the Biomedical Engineering Department at Texas A&M in 2005. As a professor, she focused on making special materials called polymers even better for medical uses. She works on changing these materials at a tiny, molecular level.

Making Medical Devices Better

Professor Grunlan has done amazing work to improve medical devices.

• She helped create "self-cleaning membranes." These are like tiny filters that can clean themselves. They are important for devices like glucose biosensors, which are placed under the skin to check blood sugar.
• In 2014, she developed a special polymer foam. This foam can be used to fill bone defects, especially in the face. It starts soft, fills the exact shape of the defect, and then hardens into a strong, porous material. This helps the bone heal.

New Materials for Healing

By 2017, Professor Grunlan's lab was focused on creating new polymeric biomaterials. These materials are used for medical devices and for regenerative therapies. Regenerative therapies help the body repair or replace damaged tissues.

She continued her work on:

• Self-cleaning membranes for biosensors.
• Coatings that stop blood clots from forming on devices that touch blood.
• Scaffolds for repairing bones and cartilage.

Because of her important research, she was named one of Texas A&M's Presidential Impact Fellows. In 2018, she was recognized as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. This was for her great work in developing polymeric biomaterials for medical devices and for helping the body regenerate.

National Recognition

Outside of Texas A&M, Professor Grunlan has received many awards for her work.

• In 2019, she became a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS). This was for her research in regenerative medicine, especially for creating materials that help heal orthopedic tissues (like bones and joints).
• In 2020, she received the Chancellor Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship Fellow award.
• She also received the Distinguished Service Award from the ACS's Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division in 2021.
• In 2022, she was named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors. She also became a Fellow of the ACS's Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division.

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)