On Nov. 1, bioengineer Dr. Nancy Allbritton began her role as Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of the College of Engineering at UW.

In addition to her deanship at UW, she holds an appointment in the UW Department of Bioengineering, where she plans to continue her research in single-cell enzymatic assays and organ-on-a-chip technology.

Dr. Allbritton came to UW from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, where she was professor and chair of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering for the past 10 years.

“We are excited to have Dr. Nancy Allbritton join the UW Bioengineering department,” said Cecilia Giachelli, professor and Hunter & Dorothy Simpson Endowed Chair in Bioengineering. “Nancy’s research in biomedical micro devices, her leadership qualities, and her experience as an inventor and entrepreneur perfectly harmonize with our goal of inventing the future of medicine. We are pleased to welcome her to our team!”

Dr. Allbritton brings particular expertise bridging engineering and health sciences disciplines. She is an experienced entrepreneurial leader who values collaboration and innovation. She has co-founded four startup companies and is an inventor on 43 issued and pending patents, which have resulted in 15 commercial products. UNC honored her as 2017 Inventor of the Year.

Her research focuses on developing new technologies and platforms for use in biomedical research and clinical care. Her work targets testing and treatments for cancer, and engineering and studying the complex microenvironment of the large intestine to improve drug screening, develop toxicology applications and model disease.

Dr. Allbritton joined UNC in 2007 after 13 years on the faculty at University of California, Irvine.

After earning her doctorate in medical physics/medical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Allbritton holds a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and her bachelor’s degree in physics from Louisiana State University.

Dr. Allbritton recently spoke with the College of Engineering about her appointment. Read the interview here.