Educational Qualifications:
Sc. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1973
Dipl. Eng., National Technical University of Athens, Greece, 1971
Doc. Hon. Causa, University of Ghent, Belgium, 1999
Pharm. D. Hon. Causa, University of Parma, Italy, 1999
Doc. Hon. Causa, University of Athens, Greece, 2000

Awards
Maurice Marie Janot Award, Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2009; Alan S Michaels Distinguished Lectureship in Medical & Biological Engineering, MIT, 2009; Elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2008;  Premio Romulo Garza, Best Research published in 2008, Mexico, 2008; Founders Award, AIChE, 2008; One Hundred Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era, AIChE, 2008; Associate Editor of the AIChE Journal, 2008; Board of the Biomedical Engineering Society, 2008; President, International Union of Societies of Biomaterials Science and Engineering, 2008; Fellow, ASEE, 2008; Inaugural fellow, Materials Research Society, 2008; HighlyCited® ISI Researcher, 2008 ;Pierre Galletti Award, AIMBE, 2008; Institute Lecturer, AIChE, 2007; Career Research Excellence Award, University of Texas, 2007; Most Outstanding ChE Faculty Member, University of Texas, 2007; Jay Bailey Award, Biological Engineering Society,AIChE, 2006; William H. Walker Award, AIChE, 2006;  Best Paper Award, European Controlled Release Meeting, 2006; Dow Chemical Engineering and Lectureship Award, ASEE, 2006; Elected to the National Academy of Engineering, 2006; Elected to the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas, 2006; Chair of College of Fellows, AIMBE, 2006; Consulting Editor, Pharmaceutical Research, 2005; Inaugural Fellow, BMES, 2005; Best Paper Award, International Meeting of the Microencapsulation Society, 2005; Distinguished Scientist Award, Houston Society of Engineering in Medicine and Biology, 2005; Founders Award of the Society for Biomaterials, 2005; Whitaker Graduate Student Award, Society for Biomaterials, 2005;  Elected Member of the French Academy of Pharmacy (Académie Nationale de Pharmacie), 2005; Research Excellence Award for Best Research Paper, Univ Texas, 2004; Materials Research Society Graduate Research Award, 2003; Capsugel Award for Best Graduate Student Research in Controlled Drug Delivery, 2003; Nagai Foundation Award for Research, 2003; Outstanding Chemical Engineer Award, School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, 2002; Distinguished Service Award, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue Universit, 2002; President of the Society for Biomaterials, 2003.; Dale Wurster Award in Pharmaceutics, AAPS, 2002; Newsmaker of the Year, ACS, 2002; Eurand Award for Life Achievements in Oral Drug Delivery, CRS, 2002; Sigma Xi University-wide Research Award, Purdue University, 2002; Chorafas Award, Best Dissertation of the University, 2002; General Electric, Senior Research Award, ASEE, 2000; Herbert McCoy Award, Highest Research Achievement, Purdue University, 2000; Heller Award, Best Research, CRS, 2000; APV Award, Best Ph.D. Thesis, APV, 2000; Fellow, AAAS, 2000; Director of the AIChE, 2000; Research Achievement Award in Pharmaceutical Technology, AAPS, 1999; Editor, Advances in Chemical Engineering, 1999- ; Fellow, APS, 1998; Whitaker Best Paper Award, ISAO, 1997; Fellow, AIChE, 1997; Best Doctoral Dissertation Award, Purdue University, 1996; Whitaker Best Paper Award, IEEE, 1996; APV Medal, 1995; Best Paper Award, Annual Meeting AIChE, 1994; Award and Honorary Membership, Italian Society of Medicine and Natural Sciences, 1994; Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Award, AIChE, 1994; Fellow, Society for Biomaterials, 1994; Potter Award, Best Engineering Teacher, Purdue University, 1994, 1985, 1978; Shreve Prize, Best Chemical Engineering Teacher, Purdue University, 1994, 1992, 1985, 1982, 1980, 1978; Unilever Award, Best Polymer Doctoral Thesis, ACS, 1993; George Westinghouse Award, ASEE, 1992; Clemson Award for Basic Research in Biomaterials, Society for Biomaterials, 1992; Founding Fellow, AIMBE, 1992; Founders Award for Outstanding Research, CRS, 1991; Victor LaMer Award, Best Colloids Doctoral Thesis, ACS, 1991; Polymer Science Pioneer by the Journal Polymer News, 1991; Fellow, AAPS, 1990; Curtis McGraw Award for Outstanding Research, ASEE, 1988; President of the Controlled Release Society, 1987-88; Materials Engineering and Sciences Award, AIChE, 1984; Zyma Foundation Award for the Advancement of Medical and Biological Sciences, 1982; AIChE National Best Counselor Award, 1982; Editor, Biomaterials, 1982-2001; Western Electric Fund Award, ASEE, 1980.

Focus:
Polymer physics; Polymerization reaction engineering; Diffusion in polymers; Controlled drug delivery; Biomedical engineering; Biomaterials; Molecular modeling of protein structures in contact with biomaterials and tissues; Modeling of biomedical devices; Bionanotechnology; Molecular recognition processes.

Research:
Our research contributions have been in several areas of drug delivery, biomaterials, biomolecular engineering, mass transfer, kinetics and reaction engineering, polymers and biomedical engineering. The multidisciplinary approach of his research in biomolecular engineering blends modern molecular and cellular biology with engineering to generate next-generation systems and devices, including bioMEMS with enhanced applicability, reliability, functionality, and longevity. The fundamental studies of his group have provided valuable results on biomaterials design and development.

Our group is known for our work on the preparation, characterization and evaluation of the behavior of compatible, cross linked polymers known as hydrogels, which have been used as biocompatible materials and in controlled release devices, especially in controlled delivery of drugs, peptides and proteins, development of novel biomaterials, biomedical transport phenomena, and biointerfacial problems. Our polymer research has examined fundamental aspects of the thermodynamics of polymer networks in contact with penetrants, the conformational changes of networks under load or in the presence of a diluent, the anomalous transport of penetrants in glassy polymers, and the kinetics of fast UV-polymerization reactions. In the field of controlled release, his group has provided the fundamental basis for a rational development of such systems. In addition, his work has led to a series of novel controlled release systems known as swelling controlled release systems, a series of pH-sensitive devices for drug delivery and a wide range of bio- and mucoadhesive systems. Other biomedical work of his group had dealt with understanding of transport of biological compounds in tissues, analysis of polymer/tissue interactions, and understanding of the behavior of biomembranes.

Selected Publications

• O.Z. Fisher, T. Kim, S.R.Dietz and N.A. Peppas, “Enhanced Core Hydrophobicity, Functionalization and Cell Uptake of Polybasic Nanomatrices”, Pharm. Res. , 26, 51-60 (2009).
• L. Serra, J. Doménech and N. A. Peppas, “Engineering Design and Molecular Dynamics of Mucoadhesive Drug Delivery Systems as Targeting Agents”, Europ. J. Pharm. Biopharm., 71, 519-528 (2009).
• N. Kamei, M. Morishita, H. Chiba, N.J. Kavimandan, N.A. Peppas, and K. Takayama, “Complexation Hydrogels for Intestinal Delivery of Interferon beta and Calcitonin”, J. Controlled Release,  134, 98-102 (2009).
• T. G. Farmer Jr. , T. F. Edgar, and N. A. Peppas, “Effectiveness of Intravenous Infusion Algorithms for Glucose Control in Diabetic Patients Using Different Simulation Models", Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 48, 4402-4414 (2009).
• D.A. Carr and N.A. Peppas, "Molecular Structure of Physiologically-Responsive Hydrogels Controls Diffusive Behavior", Macromol. Biosciences, 9, 497-505 (2009).
• D.R. Kryscio and N.A. Peppas, “Mimicking Biological Delivery Through Feedback-Controlled, Recognitive Drug Release Systems Based on Molecular Imprinting Methods”, AIChE J., 55, 1311-1324 (2009).
• L. L. Lao, S. S. Venkatraman and Nicholas A. Peppas, “A Novel Model and Experimental Analysis of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Agent Release from Biodegradable Polymers”, J. Biomed. Mater. Res., 90, 1054-1065 (2009).
• O.Z. Fisher and N.A. Peppas, “Polybasic Nanomatrices Prepared by UV-initiated Photopolymerization”, Macromolecules, 42, 3391-3398 (2009).
• N.A. Peppas and D.A. Carr, “Impact of Absorption on Intelligent Therapeutics and Nanoscale Delivery of Protein Therapeutic Agents”, Chem. Eng. Sci., 64, 4553-4565 (2009).
• N. A. Peppas and N. J. Kavimandan,  “Synergistic Effects of Permeation Enhancers and Complexation Hydrogels on The Cell Monolayer” J. Drug Delivery Sci. Techn., 19, 365-368 (2009).
• B. Slaughter, S. Khurshid, O.Z. Fisher, A. Khademhosseini and N.A. Peppas, “Hydrogels in Regenerative Madicine”, Adv. Mater., 21, 3307-3329 (2009).
• M. Caldorera-Moore and N.A. Peppas, “Micro- and Nanotechnologies for Biomaterial-Based Medical Systems”, Adv. Drug Deliv Revs, 61, 1391-1401 (2009).
• K.M. Wood, G.M. Stone and NA Peppas, “The Effect of Complexation Hydrogels on Insulin Transport in Intestinal Epithelial Cell Models”, Acta Biomaterialia, 6, 48-56  (2010).