VCU news

By Anne Buckley

Virginia Commonwealth University on Monday named renowned researcher and entrepreneur Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D. -- a member of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering -- as dean of the VCU School of Engineering, effective Jan. 1.

She joins VCU from Georgia Tech, where she is the associate dean for research and innovation in its College of Engineering. She also holds an endowed chair in tissue engineering at Georgia Tech and is a professor in the departments of biomedical engineering at both Georgia Tech and Emory University. 

In addition to her academic background, Boyan has founded a number of companies, including Osteobiologics Inc., an orthopedic device company, and most recently SpherIngenics Inc., a stem cell delivery company. She also sits on the boards of a number of companies, including Arthrocare Inc. and Carticept Medical Inc.

“Bringing someone of Dr. Boyan’s national stature, particularly given her standing in the National Academy of Engineering, signals VCU’s commitment to engineering and its move toward becoming one of the nation’s great research universities,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “It also signals VCU’s continued presence in a competitive economic landscape.”

"Extraordinary times in higher education call for extraordinary leadership. VCU is indeed fortunate to have attracted such a visionary leader, researcher and entrepreneur as Barbara Boyan to serve as the next dean of our School of Engineering,” added VCU Provost Beverly Warren, Ph.D. “Dr. Boyan's transformative contributions in bioengineering uniquely position her to provide both local and national leadership as we build transdisciplinary teams to resolve the most complex challenges facing the world today.

“I am grateful for the outstanding university-wide collaboration seen during this search, which resulted in attracting a candidate of such acclaim.”

Boyan is a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and in the American Institute of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering. In 2012, she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the national academies, and this year was inducted into the Fellows of the World Congress of Biomaterials. She has received numerous awards, is the author of more than 370 peer-reviewed papers, reviews and book chapters and holds 14 U.S. patents.

"I have loved my time at Georgia Tech, and have been thrilled to be a part of its growth in biologically based engineering research and education," Boyan said. "However, the opportunity to help VCU meet the challenges that engineering education will face over the next decade was irresistible to my entrepreneurial spirit. There is great momentum at VCU, and I am very excited about the enthusiasm I see in VCU’s students and the collaborative atmosphere that permeates the campus."

From 1981 to 2002, Boyan served as professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Orthopedics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where she also served as director of the Industry University Cooperative Research Center and director of the Center for the Enhancement of the Biology/Biomaterials Interface. She received her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in biology from Rice University.