Nerem Gift to Fund IBB Faculty Position

Robert M. Nerem has spent much of his long career exploring critical health-related topics such as blood flow in large arteries, the role of hemodynamics in the onset of atherosclerosis, and more recently, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Nerem’s work has helped to significantly  advance medical science and improve
quality of life. To many on North Avenue, he has been one of the pioneers in the field, instrumental in leading the effort in the areas of bioengineering and bioscience on the campus and beyond.

After 26 years on the Tech faculty — and nearly 50 years in academia — Nerem is looking to ensure the Institute’s continued preeminence in the field of bioengineering.

To that end, he and his wife, Marilyn, have made an estate commitment that will one day establish the Marilyn R. and Robert M. Nerem faculty chair or professorship in the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB).

The Nerem faculty position will operate as a Petit Institute faculty appointment without restriction to a specific academic field of endeavor, thus including both bioengineering and the life sciences.

The goal is to enhance the Petit Institute’s ability to attract and retain eminent teacher-scholars to this position of academic leadership.

“Georgia Tech has been a leader in pioneering biomedical techniques and devices that make a tremendous difference in people’s lives,” Nerem said. “Marilyn and I want to make sure that Tech continues its leadership role in this work far into the future, and that’s why we wanted to create this faculty position.”

Nerem is the founding director of IBB, an interdisciplinary collaboration of Tech that encompasses biochemistry, bioengineering, and biology. Nerem was also director of the Tech/Emory Center for Regenerative Medicine from 1995 to 2009. His primary research interests today are tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, including stem cell technology and cellular engineering.

“Bob Nerem’s contributions to Georgia Tech and to the bioengineering field are profound,” said Robert E. Guldberg, executive director of IBB. “He established an interdisciplinary culture that sets Georgia Tech apart in how we approach grand challenges in life sciences and human health. Bob has received numerous awards and much recognition for his work, but it is his impact on people of which he is most proud. This new commitment from Bob and Marilyn is consistent with that philosophy and will ensure that the Nerem name will serve as an inspiration to future generations of students, faculty, and researchers.”

For more about the Institute’s Campaign Georgia Tech efforts, click here.