Nicholas A.Peppas
Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering #6
- peppas@che.utexas.edu
- BME 3.503C
Controlled drug delivery; Biomaterials; Tissue engineering; Molecular modeling of protein structures in contact with biomaterials and tissues; Modeling of biomedical devices; Bionanotechnology; Molecular recognition processes; Polymer physics; Polymerization reaction engineering; Diffusion in polymers
About
Nicholas Peppas is a professor of biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, pharmacy, as well as pediatrics and surgery in the Dell Medical School. Within the scientific and academic community, he is widely regarded as a founder of modern drug delivery and a giant in biomaterials and bionanotechnology. His towering influence in science and engineering is highlighted by several achievements.
Peppas has received over 150 national and international awards. He is one of the most highly cited scientists globally, boasting over 240,000+ career citations and an H-index well over 230. His lab’s research directly contributed to more than 20 medical products (with multibillion-dollar market values), including smart, responsive drug delivery systems and methods for oral insulin delivery. He is a member of 19 national academies globally, including the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors, the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also awarded the prestigious Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine.
Peppas’ research lab contributions have been in several areas of drug delivery, biomaterials, biomolecular engineering, mass transfer, kinetics and reaction engineering, polymers and biomedical engineering. Their multidisciplinary approach 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. He developed fundamental mathematical models and equations (like the “Peppas equation”) that are the standard tools used today to analyze drug release from polymers. Over a career spanning more than 50 years, his educational legacy has directly shaped the entire landscape of modern biomedical and chemical engineering through intensive mentorship and institutional leadership.
Educational Qualifications
Sc.D., Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dipl. Eng., Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens
Honorary Doctorate, Pharmacy, Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy
Honorary Doctorate, Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, Greece
Honorary Doctorate, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Honorary Doctorate, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium
Honorary Doctorate, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Athens, Greece
Honorary Doctorate, Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
Honorary Doctorate, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Honorary Doctorate, Chemical Engineering, University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Honorary Doctorate, Materials Science, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Honorary Doctorate, Medical Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Honorary Doctorate, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of La Laguna, Spain
Honorary Doctorate, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Rowan University, USA
Select Awards & Honors
- Lifetime Achievement Award, TERMIS (2025)
- Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine (2025)
- Laurencin Regenerative Engineering Founders’ Award (2024)
- Elected member, Mexican Academy of Sciences (2024)
- BMEMat Lifetime Achievement Award (2024)
- Global Biomaterials Leadership Award (2024)
- Elected Member, European Academy of Sciences (2024)
- Shu Chien Career Achievement Award, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (2023)
- Biomaterials Global Impact Award (2022)
- Elected Member, Academy of Romanian Scientists (2022)
- Global Leader in Pharmaceutical Sciences Award, AAPS (2021)
- Elected Member, Indian National Academy of Engineering (2021)
- Elected Member, Korean Academy of Science and Technology (2021)
- Warren K. Lewis Award – American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2021)
- Elected Member, Indian National Academy of Engineering (2020)
- Elected Member, Korean Academy of Science and Technology )2020)
- Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2020)
- Oesper Award – American Chemical Society (2020)
- Elected Member, Canadian Academy of Engineering (2019)
- Elected Member, European Academy – Academia Europaea (2019)
- Elected Member, Chinese Academy of Engineering (2018)
- Adam Yarmolinsky Award, National Academy of Medicine (2018)
- Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2017)
- Robert A. Pritzker Distinguished Lecture Award, Biomedical Engineering Society. (2016)
- Giulio Natta Medal – Italy (2014)
- Elected to the Academy of Athens, Greece (2013)
- Founders Award, National Academy of Engineering (2012)
- Elected to the Royal Academy of Spain (2012)
- Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal (2010)
- Elected one of “One Hundred Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era” (2008)
- Founders Award – American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2008)
- Pierre Galletti Award – American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2008)
- Elected to the National Academy of Medicine (2008)
- Elected to the National Academy of Engineering (2006)
- Founders Award – Society for Biomaterials (2005)