García Chosen to Head Georgia Tech Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience

The Georgia Institute of Technology has selected Andrés J. García as the new executive director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. García, who joined Georgia Tech in 1998, is a Regents’ Professor who specializes in biomaterials, cellular and tissue engineering.

In addition to his research and teaching as the Rae and Frank H. Neely Chair in Mechanical Engineering, García has directed Georgia Tech’s Interdisciplinary BioEngineering Graduate Program. His research focuses on potential new therapies for diseases such as diabetes and cystic fibrosis, as well as basic science discoveries in the area of regenerative medicine. 

“Andrés is widely respected as a researcher and scholar across campus and throughout the global biotech research community,” said Christopher Jones, Georgia Tech’s Interim Executive Vice President for Research. “His many years on the faculty at Georgia Tech endow him with local knowledge and connections that will allow him to interconnect members of our community across the whole spectrum of schools, colleges and critical organizations such as GTRI and the Enterprise Innovation Institute.”

The Petit Institute, an internationally recognized hub of multidisciplinary research at Georgia Tech, brings engineers, scientists and clinicians together to solve some of the world’s most complex health challenges. With 18 research centers, more than 200 faculty members, and $24 million in state-of-the-art facilities, the Petit Institute is translating scientific discoveries into game-changing solutions to solve real-world problems.

“I am excited and honored to be the next executive director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience,” said García. “I look forward to working with the best faculty, staff and trainees on campus along with our industry, philanthropic and federal partners to transform this dynamic community into an innovation engine that will generate new discoveries and disruptive technologies with far-reaching economic and societal benefits.”

García received his Ph.D. and M.S.E. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a faculty appointment in Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. His research centers on integrating engineering and biological principles to control cell function to restore and/or enhance activity in injured or diseased organs. Specific research areas include adhesive force regulation and mechanotransduction, mechanobiology technologies for induced pluripotent stem cells, cell-instructive adhesive materials for regenerative medicine, and biomaterials for imaging and modulating inflammation and infection.

García succeeds Robert Guldberg, who has accepted a position with the University of Oregon.

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Writer: John Toon