Mark Grinstaff, PhD

William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor (BME, Chemistry, MSE, MED)

Office 590 Commonwealth Ave, SCI 518
Email mgrin@bu.edu
Phone 617-358-3429
Website The Grinstaff Group

In the News

With New Technology and Innovative Treatments, BU Cancer Research Is Saving Lives
November 21, 2025
The inventions of ENG and other BU researchers are being used to help prevent and treat cancer right now. [ More ]
Awards for Convergent Research Tackling Biggest Challenges in Life Sciences
November 14, 2024
"Convergent teams are advancing fundamental discoveries and catalyzing transformational progress." [ More ]

Publications

View a complete list of publications chronologically by year.
View a complete list of publications by citation.

Research Areas

The Grinstaff Group pursues highly interdisciplinary research in the areas of biological and macromolecular chemistry. The major goal in these research projects is to elucidate the underlying fundamental chemistry and engineering principles and to use that insight to direct our creative and scientific efforts.
We are designing, synthesizing, and characterizing novel dendrimers, termed “biodendrimers,” for tissue engineering and biotechnological applications. Currently, we are evaluating these novel biomaterials for the repair of corneal lacerations, for the delivery of anti-cancer drugs, for the delivery of DNA, and as temporary biodegradable scaffolds for cartilage repair.
We are creating novel polymeric coatings termed “interfacial biomaterials” that control biology on plastic, metal, and ceramic surfaces.
We are designing electrochemical-based sensors/devices using conducting polymer nanostructures and specific DNA structural motifs.

Honors and Awards

2024 NSF Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award
2023 Royal Society Centenary Prize
2019 BMES Fellow
2018 Clemson Award for Applied Research, Society For Biomaterials
2016 New England Institute of Chemists Distinguished Chemist (New England Institute of Chemists, a division of the American Institute of Chemists)
2015 Charles DeLisi Award and Lecture (Inaugural Address)
2014 Inaugural Holder of the Boston University College of Engineering Distinguished Professor of Translational Research
2013 Evans Center Department of Medicine, Collaborator of the Year Award
2012 Kern Innovation Faculty Fellow
2011 Winner of the First BU Material Science & Engineering Innovation Grant
2011 Stevenson Biomaterials Lecturer, Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, Syracuse University
2010 Professeur Invité and Certificat sur Honneur, Université de Bordeaux (Bordeaux II)
2010 Boston University Innovator of the Year
2009 College of Engineering Distinguished Faculty Fellow (5-year Endowed Fellowship)
2008 Edward M. Kennedy Award for Health Care Innovation
2008 Invited Speaker to the 102nd Korean Chemical Society
2007 Professeur Invité and Certificat sur Honneur, Université de la Méditerranée (Aix-Marseille II)
2003 Selected by NSF/DFG to attend the VIIth American German Polymer Symposium
2002 Selected by National Academy of Engineering to attend the Annual JST International Interdisciplinary Research Exchange Symposium
2001 Johnson and Johnson Focused Giving Grant Recipient
2001 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award
2000 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
2000 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar
1999 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences
1999 NSF Career Award
1998 Whitaker Foundation Grant Recipient
1994 ACS Nobel Laureate Signature Award
1993 National Institute of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship
1991 T. S. Piper Award for Outstanding Inorganic Research
1990 The ACS Fellowship of the Colloid & Surface Division (Sponsored by Procter & Gamble)
1989 University of Illinois Chemistry Department Fellowship

Additional Affiliations

Division of Materials Science & Engineering

Departments or Divisions: Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering

Affiliations: Materials by Design, Primary & Affiliated Faculty

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