Nicholas A. Peppas, Sc.D.

A pioneer of advanced healthcare materials, Nicholas Peppas continues to innovate in the fields of healthcare materials and drug delivery.

Few active scientists could be considered pioneers. Often, it is through the lens of hindsight that we appreciate an individual’s or group’s contribution to a field, but Nicholas Peppas has truly pioneered the development of healthcare materials and drug delivery — and shows no sign of slowing down.

One cannot mention contemporary drug delivery, tissue engineering, biofabrication, or advanced therapeutics without giving a nod to Peppas… Continue reading.

Members of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society elected their peers to leadership roles in an online election held November 9 – 22, 2020. Sigma Xi thanks all members who voted or volunteered to run as candidates. Many of the newly elected volunteer leaders will begin their term on July 1, 2021. Nicholas A. Peppas was elected to serve a three-year term comprised of a year each as Sigma Xi president-elect, president, and past-president.

President-elect designee Peppas, a professor at The University of Texas at Austin, is a researcher in biomaterials, drug delivery, and chemical/biomedical engineering with 153,000 citations (H=181). Inducted into Sigma Xi in 1973, he was the Purdue University Chapter president and awarded the Sigma Xi Monie A. Ferst Award. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Inventors, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, plus European, Chinese, Canadian, French, Spanish, and Greek academies. He is deputy editor of Science Advances and past president of groups such as the Society for Biomaterials… Continue reading.

Nicholas Peppas, Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering #6 at UT Austin and an expert in biomaterials and drug delivery systems, has been elected as a foreign member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

The Canadian Academy of Engineering is the national institution through which Canada’s most distinguished and experienced engineers provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to Canada. Peppas is one of 55 new members elected in 2019 and one of only five elected internationally… Continue reading.

Nicholas A. Peppas, professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, as well as in UT’s Dell Medical School and College of Pharmacy, has been named the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists’ (AAPS) Distinguished Award winner for 2018. He is honored for his pioneering work in protein and drug transport and release from polymer systems.

The Distinguished Pharmaceutical Scientist Award, which is sponsored by a grant from AstraZeneca, is in recognition of Peppas’ lifetime of achievements in drug delivery and the impact that his discoveries have had on industries and quality of life.

Already one of the most decorated engineers in the U.S., Peppas receives the award within a month of being honored with the National Academy of Medicine’s prestigious Adam Yarmolinsky Medal.

“It has been a tremendous year for Nicholas, and this latest recognition from the AAPS is extremely well deserved,” said Sharon L. Wood, dean of the Cockrell School. “The UT community continues to be proud of his accomplishments and inspired by the impact he has made in his career… Continue reading.

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) honored three members today at its annual meeting for their outstanding service. The honorees are Elaine L. Larson, senior associate dean of scholarship and research, Anna C. Maxwell Professor of Nursing Research, and professor of epidemiology at Columbia University; Hedvig Hricak, chair of the department of radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and Nicholas Peppas, professor and director of the Institute for Biomaterials, Drug Delivery, and Regenerative Medicine and Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering #6 at the University of Texas at Austin.

“These distinguished members have shown extraordinary dedication to furthering science and improving the health of our nation,” said National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau. “The countless hours they have volunteered in various roles year after year have been crucial to helping the National Academy of Medicine address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy, and inspire collective action across sectors. We are delighted to honor them today… Continue reading.

Nicholas Peppas, professor of biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, pediatrics, surgery and pharmacy at The University of Texas at Austin and an expert in biomaterials and drug delivery systems, has been elected as a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).

Membership in the CAE is the highest engineering distinction in China, and the academy is among the most prestigious engineering communities in the world. Once elected, foreign members hold lifelong memberships. Peppas is one of 18 foreign members elected in 2017 and the only member elected from the state of Texas.

Peppas, who holds the Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering #6 at UT Austin, was elected for his seminal contributions to biomaterials, drug delivery and chemical engineering… Continue reading.

Nicholas Peppas, professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and an expert in biomaterials and drug delivery systems, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Peppas is one of 228 new members elected this year. They include some of the world’s most accomplished scholars, scientists, writers and artists as well as civic, business and philanthropic leaders.

“Nicholas is a pioneer in oral drug delivery systems, and his breakthrough discoveries and inventions have had an enormous impact on quality of life around the world,” said Sharon L. Wood, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering. “We congratulate him on this honor and on the significance of his many contributions to engineering and medicine.”

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the country’s oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers, convening leaders from the academic, business and government sectors to respond to the challenges facing — and opportunities available to — the nation and the world. Members contribute to academy publications and studies in science, engineering and technology policy; global security and international affairs; the humanities, arts and education; and American institutions and the public good.

Peppas has been a highly accomplished innovator, entrepreneur and professor, currently holding appointments in biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, surgery and pharmacy at UT Austin. He has six honorary doctorates, 43 U.S. patents pending or issued, three companies founded and more than 1,350 papers published. He joined the UT Austin faculty in 2002 and served as chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering from 2009 to 2015.

The John Hopkins Center for Nanomedicine recently honored McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering professor Nicholas Peppas with the inaugural Pioneer of Nanomedicine Award, recognizing individuals whose work is at the intersection of nanotechnology and medicine and has profoundly impacted society and human health.

As part of the honor, Peppas delivered a talk at the Center for Nanomedicine’s Seminar Series, titled “The Promise of Biotechnology: Solving Scientific Puzzles in Biomaterials and Drug Delivery.”

“Dr. Peppas was selected to acknowledge his pioneering work in biomaterials, drug delivery, and bionanotechnology,” said Director of the center, Justin Hanes. “His work in these areas has laid the fundamental foundations of understanding that underpins countless successful medical products that have impacted the lives of people all over the world.”

The Pioneer in Nanomedicine Award is sponsored by generous donations from Shire, the Catalent Applied Drug Delivery Institute, the Johns Hopkins University, the Wilmer Eye Institute, the Center for Nanomedicine at Johns Hopkins and includes a $25,000 prize.​

Peppas is a professor of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, pharmacy, and surgery and perioperative care at UT Austin, and holds the role of director at the Institute of Biomaterials, Drug Delivery and Regenerative Medicine. Other recent accolades received by Peppas include the 2016 Pritzker Distinguished Lectureship award and appointment to the National Materials and Manufacturing Board.

In the near future, hemophiliacs could be able to treat their disease by simply swallowing a capsule.

Thanks to a breakthrough led by researchers in the McKetta Department of Chemical  Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, treatment for hemophilia can now be administered via a biodegradable system, a capsule, giving people affected by the hereditary bleeding disorder hope for a less expensive, less painful treatment option than conventional injections or infusions.

The researchers designed the oral delivery system, which contains micro- and nanoparticles, to carry a protein therapy that treats hemophilia B. There are approximately 400,000 people worldwide living with either hemophilia A or hemophilia B, both caused by a missing protein in their blood. Hemophilia B is caused by a missing or defective factor IX, a clotting protein. The researchers describe their system in the Nov. 30 issue of the International Journal of Pharmaceutics.

The bleeding disorder affects people throughout the world, but global accessibility to therapy is limited by cost, the need for trained medical personnel and possible complications associated with needle-based drug administration. Thousands of people endure multiple injections weekly to keep symptoms, such as excessive bleeding and pain in the joints, at bay and prevent future joint disease.

“While an oral delivery platform will be beneficial to all hemophilia B patients, patients in developing countries will benefit the most,” said Sarena Horava, the study’s lead author who is a recent Texas ChE Ph.D. graduate and a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow. “In many developing countries, the median life expectancy for hemophilia patients is 11 years due to the lack of access to treatment, but our new oral delivery of factor IX can now overcome these issues and improve the worldwide use of this therapy.”

Horava, who now works at Triton Systems, collaborated with co-author and co-inventor Nicholas A. Peppas, the director of UT Austin’s Institute for Biomaterials, Drug Delivery and Regenerative Medicine and a Cockrell School professor who also holds appointments in the Dell Medical School and School of Pharmacy. Katie J. Moy, an undergraduate student in the Cockrell School’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, is also a co-author on the study.

Peppas said that alleviating the burden of injections for children was the impetus for the research project, which started about nine years ago.

“My most pressing concern was the treatment of younger patients who suffer from hemophilia and who have to apply injections every two days,” Peppas said. “The original idea of the project was conceived when Dr. Lisa Brannon-Peppas, who at the time was a biomedical engineering faculty member, discussed with me the side effects of the disease and the psychological impact it has on mothers.”

Treatment of autoimmune disorders is most effective when they are diagnosed early. In Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects the exocrine system, patients suffer from dry eye and dry mouth. Diagnosis is often delayed by six to ten years even after symptoms appear. Currently, patients must undergo multiple tests, including a biopsy of the salivary gland, to diagnose Sjögren’s syndrome.

Nicholas Peppas, professor of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and pharmacy, and Eric Anslyn, professor of chemistry, have received a $1.3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to investigate how to use nanotechnology to noninvasively diagnose Sjögren’s syndrome in the early stages of the disease. In their approach, a diagnostic sensor array is used to monitor protein concentration changes in the saliva or tears of symptomatic patients. Earlier diagnosis can help mitigate damage that occurs later in the disease. Patients with Sjögren’s syndrome may have difficulty speaking, swallowing or seeing, and, in later stages, more serious complications, such as complete vision loss and development of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Nicholas Peppas, Texas ChE professor and a world-renowned expert in biomaterials and drug delivery systems, has been awarded the Biomedical Engineering Society’s (BMES) prestigious Robert A. Pritzker Distinguished Lecture Award for 2016.

The lectureship is the highest award given by BMES and recognizes one individual each year for his or her outstanding achievements and leadership in the science and practice of biomedical engineering. Peppas is the first faculty member from UT Austin to receive the honor.

Presentation of the BMES award, a keynote lecture and a dinner honoring Peppas will take place at the society’s annual meeting in Minneapolis on Oct. 6.

“I am honored that our research contributions are recognized by the premier biomedical engineering organization in this way,” said Peppas, who holds the Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering #6. “My students and I try to give good engineering solutions to a number of important medical problems — for the treatment of diabetes, multiple sclerosis and certain types of cancers.”

In recognition of the honor, Peppas was invited by the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering and the Illinois Institute of Technology to deliver a talk titled “Intelligent Nanoscale Biopolymers for Recognitive and Responsive Delivery of Drugs, Peptides and Proteins” earlier this year in Chicago.

“Nicholas is highly deserving of this marvelous honor,” said James Collins, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the 2014 recipient of the award. “He is a giant in the biomedical engineering community, having made multiple seminal research contributions as well as having trained and mentored a generation of outstanding engineering leaders. He is a national treasure.”

Dr. Nicholas Peppas, the Cockrell Family Regents Chair #6 and Texas ChE professor, has been appointed to the National Materials and Manufacturing Board (NMMB) of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine for a three-year term.

NMMB combines the charges of two preexisting boards: the National Materials Advisory Board and the Board on Manufacturing and Engineering Design. The mission of this new body is to build on the past achievements of its parent boards by providing objective, independent assessments of the current state of materials and manufacturing research – including at the atomic, molecular, and nano scales – and the applications of new and existing materials in innovative ways, including pilot-scale and large-scale manufacturing, the design of new devices, and disposal.

“My appointment to the National Materials and Manufacturing Board will allow me to better represent the academic and industrial community in areas such as nanomaterials, nanocomposites, biomaterials, cell manufacturing and related areas,” Peppas said. “I hope to be active in contributing and helping the National Research Council and the government in matters related to the utilization and manufacturing of materials.”

Previous studies by NMMB’s predecessors have covered a diversity of timely, consequential topics including global supply chains and national security, real-time detection of damage to materials in aerospace applications and of threat agents, integrated computational materials engineering, and management of existing U.S. materials resources.

Nicholas Peppas, professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and director of the Institute of Biomaterials, Drug Delivery and Regenerative Medicine, has received a courtesy appointment in the Dell Medical School’s Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care.

In this role he will facilitate collaborative research between biomedical engineers and physicians to solve medical challenges.

“Dr. Peppas is an internationally-renowned leader in the field of biomedical engineering. The Dell Medical School is enthusiastic about his joint appointment, which will enable our faculty, residents and students to benefit from Dr. Peppas’ expertise,” said Kevin J Bozic, MD, MBA, Chair of the Department of Surgery & Perioperative Care at the Dell Medical School.

Nicholas Peppas, the Cockrell Family Regents Chair #6 in Engineering and professor of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and pharmacy at UT Austin, recently received the 2015 International Award from the European Society for Biomaterials. The award was given at the 27th European Conference on Biomaterials in Krakow, Poland, Sept. 1.

The prestigious accolade recognizes scientists who have spent the majority of their career outside of Europe and have a widely recognized, high-scientific profile with major contributions to the field of biomaterials. Recipients of the award must also show strong evidence of collaborations with members of the scientific community in Europe. Peppas is in his seventh year as President of the International Union of Societies of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUSBSE), which will meet again in Krakow.

Peppas was honored for his extensive work in biomaterials, polymer physics, drug delivery and bionanotechnology. His cross-disciplinary skillset and approach blends modern molecular and cellular biology with engineering principles to design the next generation of medical systems and devices for patient treatment.

Over the past 40 years, Peppas has set the fundamentals and rational design of biomedical hydrogels and drug delivery systems and developed models of drug and protein diffusion in controlled release devices and biological tissues.

The Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin is launching the university’s first health care engineering institute dedicated to developing technologies and treatments that will immediately improve patient quality of life.

Led by Nicholas Peppas, a professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, the College of Pharmacy, the Department of Biomedical Engineering and a world-renowned expert in biomaterials and drug delivery systems, the new Institute for Biomaterials, Drug Delivery and Regenerative Medicine brings together leading Cockrell School researchers in chemical and biomedical engineering who are investigating new ways to alter and improve the body’s systems, repair failing organs and administer drugs and vaccines.

Through targeted, multidisciplinary research in these key areas, the institute aims to create revolutionary devices and treatments that eliminate painful biopsies, surgeries and chemotherapy; improve rehabilitation and surgical outcomes; and detect cancer, heart disease and viruses early on.

“We have formed a unique institute that will advance biomedical research in fields that directly impact the development of new medical devices and health care problems while also addressing the high costs associated with these new devices,” Peppas said. “We will have a strong partnership with the Dell Medical School and close interaction with industry, and we will provide new short courses and summer programs to educate biotech employees and entrepreneurs.”

The Controlled Release Society (CRS) recognized Professor Nicholas Peppas for exceptional lifetime contributions to delivery science at their 2015 Annual Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland.

CRS states “Nicholas A. Peppas has been an icon in the field of controlled release through his innovative research, leadership of the Controlled Release Society, and exceptional support of students. One of his many legacies is the formation of local CRS chapters to enhance globalization and student development. Therefore, CRS is honoring Nicholas Peppas via funding student travel awards so promising young scientists can attend the 2015 CRS annual meeting.”

The Nicholas Peppas Student Travel Grant Program was established by contributions from former and present collaborators, companies, and former students, and was supported by the CRS Foundation.

During the annual meeting, Peppas gave a plenary lecture during a special session held in his honor on “Intelligent Polymer Hydrogels: From Obscure Molecular Structures to Useful Multifunctional Systems for Drug and Protein Delivery, Targeting and Molecular Sensing.” Peppas also participated in a panel with young students called “Lunch with Luminaries” and was one of three panelists in the College of Fellows Panel “How Can We Make Nanomedicine Work?”

Dr. Nicholas Peppas has made the list of most cited researchers in the world.

Out of 669 ranked researchers with an h-index larger than 100, Peppas is ranked 130. He has an h-index of 131 and 71,921 citations.

The list was published by the Ranking Web or Webometrics, the largest academic ranking of higher education institutions.

The h-index measures both the productivity and citation impact of the published body of work of a scientist or scholar. The index is based on the set of the scientist’s most cited papers and the number of citations that they have received in other publications.

Nicholas Peppas, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and professor of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and pharmacy at The University of Texas at Austin, has been selected to present the 2015 Reilly Lectures for the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

Peppas will give two presentations as part of the lectureship, the first titled “Advances in siRNA and Protein Delivery Through Smart Polymers” March 31 at 3:30pm and the second titled “Nanotechnology and Bioengineering in an Evolving Chemical Engineering World” April 1, 2015 at 1:00pm. Both lectures will be presented in the Eck Visitors Center Auditorium.

The Reilly Lectureship is thought to be the oldest continuing endowed lectureship in chemical and biomolecular engineering in the United States. The lectureship is supported by the Peter C. Reilly Fund, named in honor of the former University trustee and honorary degree recipient.

Nicholas A. Peppas, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and professor of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and pharmacy at UT Austin, has been awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Patras in Patras, Greece.

He was awarded the doctorate from the university’s Chemical Engineering Department, the top chemical engineering department in Greece. Peppas will be honored at a ceremony on June 3, 2015 in Patras, Greece.

Peppas is considered the leading researcher in the field of biomaterials, drug delivery and controlled release. His leadership in these fields has led to numerous biomedical products and devices. The Korsmeyer-Peppas equation, the basic theoretical model for controlled release systems, is one is his most important developments to date.

Peppas is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, French Academy of Pharmacy, Royal Academy of Spain, Academy of Athens, and The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas. He was recently named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a member of the United Kingdom’s Royal Society of Chemistry.

Nicholas Peppas, chair of the Cockrell School’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and a professor of chemical engineering and pharmacy at The University of Texas at Austin, has been selected as the 2015 Kelly Lecture speaker at Purdue University.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Kelly Lectures, talks presented annually at Purdue’s School of Chemical Engineering by outstanding engineers and scientists from across broad areas of chemical engineering. Recipients are selected by Purdue faculty in recognition of their contributions to research and education.

Peppas, who is a former distinguished member of Purdue’s faculty, will deliver his lecture in two sessions on April 28 and 29 in Forney Hall on Purdue’s campus.

The Kelly Lectures were established in 1965 by a grant from alumnus Arthur Kelly (BSChE ’24).  He was a retired Executive Vice-President and Director of B.F. Goodrich Co, and received an honorary doctorate from Purdue in 1961.

Nicholas Peppas, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and a professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and the College of Pharmacy at The University of Texas at Austin, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC).The Royal Society of Chemistry, founded in 1841, is the United Kingdom’s professional body for chemical scientists and the largest organization in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences. The Royal Society of Chemistry partners with industry and academia, promotes collaboration and innovation, advises governments on policy and promotes the talent, information and ideas that lead to great advances in science. The designation FRSC is given to a group of elected Fellows who have made outstanding contributions to chemistry. The names of newly elected Fellows are published each year in The Times (London).Peppas, who holds the Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering #1 and the Cockrell Family Chair for Departmental Leadership #6, is a world-renowned leader and innovator in the fields of chemistry, biomaterials, bionanotechnology, drug delivery, and pharmaceutical bioengineering. He has 43 U.S. patents pending or issued, has founded three successful companies to further develop biomaterial and drug delivery therapies and has published more than 1,250 papers.Peppas is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions including, most recently, his induction as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the Applied Polymer Science Award from the American Chemical Society. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, French Academy of Pharmacy, Royal Academy of Spain, Academy of Athens, and The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas.

Nicholas Peppas, professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, has been named Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Election to NAI Fellow status is a high professional distinction accorded to renowned academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.

Peppas is a world leader and innovator in the fields of biomaterials, bionanotechnology, drug delivery and pharmaceutical bioengineering. He is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions including, most recently, the Giulio Natta Medal from the Polytechnic School of Milan in Italy and the Applied Polymer Science Award from the American Chemical Society.

He has 43 U.S. patents pending or issued, has founded three successful companies to further develop biomaterial and drug delivery therapies, and has published over 1,250 papers. With over 69,000 citations, he is the most highly cited bioengineer in Google Scholar and one of the most highly cited experts in the world. Peppas is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, French Academy of Pharmacy, Royal Academy of Spain, Academy of Athens, and The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas.

Recent elections bring the total number of NAI Fellows to 414, representing some of the country’s most prestigious research universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutions. Included among NAI Fellows are 61 presidents and senior leaders of research universities and nonprofit research institutes, 10 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Science and 21 Nobel Laureates.

Five science-minded high school students were mentored by chemical engineering and biomedical engineering graduate students this summer to learn about oral drug delivery research in a university lab setting.

Sofia Kennedy a senior at Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin and Kevin Lee, Frank Muehleman, Sam Norwood, and John Sullivan, all students at St. Stephen’s Episcopal in Austin, have been working with graduate students from Dr. Nicholas Peppas‘ Laboratory of Biomaterials, Drug Delivery and Bionanotechnology. They are participating in The University of Texas at Austin Graduate Research in High School Hands Program.
Established by Peppas and his graduate students in 2010, the program gives interested high school students the opportunity to see firsthand the workings of a research laboratory and to foster interest in engineering.

Lindsey Sharpe, a biomedical engineering graduate student, and Sarena Horava, Michael Koetting, Jonathan Peters, and David Spencer, all chemical engineering graduate students, have guided the group through various experiments with oral drug delivery, teaching the students about pH- and thermal-responsive systems, drug loading, and degradation systems.

Professor Nicholas Peppas, the Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has won the 2014 Giulio Natta Medal in Chemical Engineering from the Chemistry, Material and Chemical Engineering Department “Giulio Natta” CMIC of the Politecnico Di Milano.The Giulio Natta Medal is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the development of chemical engineering science and to the advancement of the chemical engineering profession. It will be presented to Dr. Peppas during a ceremony in Milan on November 7th, 2014. Following the ceremony, Dr. Peppas will present the 2014 “Natta Lecture.”

Nicholas Peppas, the Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering, has been included in the 2014 Thomas Reuters’ list of Highly Cited Researchers.

This list recognizes many of the world’s leading scientific minds and is comprised of more than 3,200 researchers in 21 fields of the sciences and social sciences. Peppas was one of seven Cockrell School researchers named, illustrating UT Austin’s growing influence on the global research landscape.

Researchers listed earned the distinction by writing the greatest numbers of reports officially designated by Essential Science Indicators℠ as Highly Cited Papers — ranking among the top 1 percent most cited for their subject field and year of publication. This earns them the mark of “exceptional impact,” according to Thomson Reuters. Peppas has published on the topics of biomaterials, drug delivery, bioengineering, hydrogels and polymers. He was listed in the pharmacology and toxicology category.

Yannis Kevrekidis, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at Princeton University said, “Election to the Order of Sciences in the Academy whose roots go back to Plato’s Academy in this “city that taught the world” is a signal honor. It is also a recognition for the entire field that Nicholas has helped found and has graced with his work, his vision, his creativity and his vibrant academic/industrial “progeny tree” over the years. In a way, it honors a generation of groundbreaking young Greek chemical engineers who have redefined the forefront of our science and transformed the way it addresses society and its needs. Yet at heart it is a recognition of sustained excellence to an individual for work that really matters.”

Peppas’ election is an acknowledgement of his tremendous scientific contribution.

“The pioneering research efforts of Professor Peppas have led to the discovery of more than 20 medical products (he has 37 patents). These products have had a major impact on the health and happiness of millions of people. Furthermore, he is one of the most cited engineers worldwide,” said Peppas’ nominator Athanassios Fokas, an internationally known mathematician and professor of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

Peppas has been a leader in biomaterials, drug delivery and pharmaceutical bioengineering. The multidisciplinary approach of his research blends modern molecular and cellular biology with engineering to create the next generation of medical systems and devices for patient treatment.

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers has recognized Professor Nicholas Peppas with its 2013 Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum Award for his achievement in science, impact in education, and commitment to professional service.

"Peppas exquisitely fuses modern molecular and cell biology with materials engineering to generate new systems and devices, including uses of nanomaterials for novel treatments for human disease, which have benefited millions worldwide," said one of Peppas’ nominators, Dr. Joseph DeSimone, Director of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and the Chancellor’s Eminent Professor of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina.

Professor Nicholas Peppas has been selected for the 2014 American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in Applied Polymer Science for his pioneering work on the development and implementation of polymer networks and hydrogels for biomedical applications.

Nicholas Peppas is the Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering and a professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, the Biomedical Engineering Department, and the College of Pharmacy. He is also chair of the Biomedical Engineering Department.

“Professor Peppas has a unique talent of achieving significant fundamental insights into polymer materials fabrication and modification, polymer thermodynamics, polymerization kinetics and transport behavior,” said nominator Chris Bowman, University of Colorado distinguished professor in chemical and biological engineering. “He then applies this knowledge to the development of improved materials, material performance and biomedical devices that have practical impact.”

Nicholas A. Peppas, Biomedical Engineering Department Chair, Director of the Center on Biomaterials, Drug Delivery and Bionanotechnology and professor of biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and pharmacy at The University of Texas at Austin, received the Benjamin Garver Lamme Award at a special awards ceremony held at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia June 26, 2013.

The Benjamin Garver Lamme Award recognizes excellence in teaching, contributions to research and technical literature, and achievements that advance the profession of engineering college administration.  Peppas received the Benjamin Garver Lamme Award in recognition for his profound educational contribution to biomedical systems, bionanotechnology, biomolecular sciences and engineering, and biomedical engineering education over the past 30 years.  He is also honored for his insight into numerous engineering processes and applications leading to nanoscale analysis, design and development of new biomaterials and medical devises.

Nicholas A. Peppas, chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and professor of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and pharmacy, was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Ljubljana Dec. 4 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Attendees of the official ceremony included the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr.  Danilo Türk, the President of the Slovenian Academy of Science, Prof. Jože Trontelj, and the Rector of the university, Prof. Radovan Stanislav Pejovnik. Other honorary doctorates included Donald Dublin, professor of statistics at Harvard University, and Adam Michnik, a Polish historian, essayist, and former dissident.

The National Academy of Engineering has selected Nicholas Peppas as its 2012 Founders Award recipient in recognition of his pioneering work in the areas of polymer chemistry, bioengineering, pharmaceutical sciences and advanced drug delivery.

Peppas is the chair of the Cockrell School of Engineering Biomedical Engineering Department, and he holds the Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering with additional appointments in Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy at The University of Texas at Austin. He is believed to be the first faculty member from a Texas university to receive the prestigious award since its inception in 1966. The award is given to one NAE member annually who has made a substantial impact on the engineering profession.

“Peppas is a leading researcher, inventor and pacesetter in the field of drug delivery and controlled release, a field that he developed into a mature area of scholarly and applied research,” said Charles Vest, NAE president and former president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Nicholas A. Peppas, chair of The University of Texas at Austin’s Biomedical Engineering Department, has been elected a Corresponding Member of the Real Academia Nacional de Farmacia (Royal Academy of Pharmacy) of Spain.

Established in 1737 by King Philip V, the Royal Academy of Pharmacy of Spain is one of the Royal Academies belonging to the Institute of Spain under the reigning king of Spain, Juan Carlos I. The academy is composed of 50 academics and 173 corresponding academics worldwide that represent excellence and the highest scientific and intellectual merit in the field.

Gregory L. Fenves, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering, hailed Peppas’ induction into the Spanish academy as a testament to his fundamental research and educational contributions internationally.

"Dr. Peppas is one of the foremost pioneers of drug delivery research, and his contributions to science — both through research and mentorship of students — have and continue to improve life for many,” Fenves said.

Peppas will be inducted and give an inaugural lecture in Madrid on April 25.

Nicholas A. Peppas, Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering, chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and professor of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and pharmacy, has been awarded the Billy & Claude R. Hocott Distinguished Centennial Engineering Research Award by the Cockrell School of Engineering.

The award honors faculty members who have brought significant credit and contributions to the engineering profession through documented research while associated with The University of Texas at Austin.

“Dr. Peppas has authored an outstanding number of publications, more than 1,200, and there are over 38,000 citations of his research, showing the profound impact of his contributions to science and engineering,” said Gregory Fenves, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering.”