An Esteemed Election to the Prestigious National Academy of Medicine

U.S. President Barack Obama visiting Dr. Paula Hammond

Dr. Paula Hammond, MIT Distinguished Professor elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Paula Hammond, the David H. Koch Professor in Engineering and head of MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in recognition of her distinguished contributions to medicine and health.

Hammond is one of 70 new members and nine international members announced on October 17, 2016 at the annual meeting of the NAM. Membership in the NAM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievements and commitment to service.

Barack Obama smiles at Paula Hammond every day. A framed photo of the president, standing next to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist, hangs on the wall over her desk here at MIT. “That was from his 2009 visit,” she says with a grin. Hammond was one of only a few MIT faculty members selected to present their work to the president in what turned out to be like a grown-up version of a science fair. She presented work on virus-based batteries. “We had to explain our science in 5 minutes,” she says. “But then Obama asked so many questions that we went way over time.”

Like Obama, Hammond is an emblem of change. Her chemical engineering research has evolved rapidly over the 15 years since she got started, riding some of that field's big trends. It started with a fairly fundamental study of polymers, the long chains that certain organic molecules form. First it was their mechanochromic properties—how their colors shift in response to physical stress—then their thermochromic properties, and finally their electrochromic properties. “I find color fascinating,” Hammond says.

Dr. Hammond's laboratory basic research has since yielded a torrent of industrial applications, from medical diagnostic devices to flexible electronics—more than enough to keep most scientists busy. Starting in 2001, she added a sideline on military applications, helping found the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at MIT, focusing on technology that protects soldiers from harm and heals their wounds. For example, her lab developed a material that can be sprayed onto wounds to accelerate blood clotting.

Hammond’s many awards and honors include the Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research in 2014, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Charles M. A. Stine Award in Materials Engineering and Science in 2013, the Ovarian Cancer Research Program Teal Innovator Award in 2013, the Junior Bose Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2000, an National Science Foundation Career Award in 1997, and the MIT Karl Taylor Compton Prize in 1992 (in recognition of achievements in citizenship and devotion to the welfare of MIT).

She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a fellow and former director of the Board of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a fellow of the American Physical Society and American Institute of Biomedical and Biological Engineering, among other honors.

Professor Hammond received her S.B. in Chemical Engineering from MIT (1984), and her M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech (1988), and earned her Ph.D. (1993) in Chemical Engineering from MIT.

Excerpts from MIT News Office | Anne Trafton | October 17, 2016

Excerpts from Science Magazine | AAAS | John Bohannon | Dec. 3, 2014 

Image credit: Dr. Ben Wang - Pinterest

Curating the MIT Black Experience

New Superweapon in the Fight Against Cancer

Dr. Paula T. Hammond

TED Talks Live: Filmed November 2015

Dr. Paula T. Hammond is on the nano particle forefront of assembling and developing a superhero-type medical therapy to eliminate cancer in the body safely.  Her groundbreaking research is paving the way for new approaches to neutralizing and eliminating the most potent cancer types known. 

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Professor Hammond is the Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and David H. Koch Chair Professor in Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is a member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative CancerResearch, the MIT Energy Initiative and a founding member of the MITInstitute for Soldier Nanotechnology. She has recently been named the new head of the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChemE). She is the first woman and the first person of color appointed to the post. She also served as the Executive Officer (Associate Chair) of the Chemical Engineering Department (2008-2011).

Professor Hammond was elected into the 2013 Class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is also the recipient of the 2013 AIChE Charles M. A. Stine Award, which is bestowed annually to a leading researcher in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of materials science and engineering, and the 2014 Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research. She was also selected to receive the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Teal Innovator Award in 2013. She has been listed in the prestigious Highly Cited Researchers 2014 list, published by Thomson Reuters in the Materials Science category. This list contains the world's most influential researchers across 21 scientific disciplines based on highly cited papers in the 2002-2012 period. She is also included in the report: The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2014.

Professor Hammond serves as an Associate Editor of the American Chemical Society Journal, ACS Nano. She has published over 250 scientific papers and holds over 20 patents based on her research at MIT. She was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Institute of Biological andMedical Engineers, and the American Chemical Society PolymerDivision. In 2010, she was named the Scientist of the Year by the Harvard Foundation.

Professor Hammond received her S.B. in Chemical Engineering from MIT (1984), and her M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech (1988), and earned her Ph.D. (1993) in Chemical Engineering from MIT.

As shared from TED Talks Live

Image credit: MIT Archives

A Monumental Historical Celebration........ Dr. Paula T. Hammond

As shared from MIT News Office

July 13, 2015

Dr. Paula Hammond named head of Department of Chemical Engineering.

An MIT faculty member since 1995, Hammond succeeds Dr. Klavs Jensen as ChemE department head.

Paula T. Hammond, the David H. Koch Professor in Engineering, has been named the new head of the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChemE), effective July 13. She is the first woman and first person of color appointed to the post.

The announcement was made this morning in a special faculty meeting of the department. “We are fortunate to have someone with Professor Hammond’s vision and dedication to lead this distinguished department,” says Ian A. Waitz, dean of the School of Engineering. “She has a deep knowledge of the Institute and has led a remarkable career as a researcher and educator. Please join me in congratulating Paula on this appointment.”

Hammond succeeds Klavs Jensen, the Warren K. Lewis Professor of Chemical Engineering, who has been the department head in ChemE since 2007; Jensen will reengage full time with teaching and research in the department. “Klavs has been a superb colleague, and he has set a very high bar for leadership of a department,” Waitz noted.

Hammond is a core faculty member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and was a founding member of the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. She has collaborators in academic departments throughout the Institute, and has worked with clinicians and researchers at various Boston-area hospitals. Her research group focuses on biomaterials and drug delivery. Their research focuses on the self-assembly of polymeric nanomaterials; the core of her work is the use of electrostatics and other complementary interactions to generate functional materials with highly controlled architectures, including the development of new biomaterials and electrochemical energy devices. She and her former students and postdocs have started a range of biotech companies.

Hammond’s many awards and honors include the Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research in 2014, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Charles M. A. Stine Award in Materials Engineering and Science in 2013, the Ovarian Cancer Research Program Teal Innovator Award in 2013, the Junior Bose Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2000, an NSF Career Award in 1997, and the MIT Karl Taylor Compton Prize in 1992 (in recognition of achievements in citizenship and devotion to the welfare of MIT). She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a director of the Board of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a fellow of the American Physical Society and American Institute of Biomedical and Biological Engineering, among other honors.

She has taught several classes over the past several years, including the 10.467 (Polymer Science Laboratory), 10.569 (Synthesis of Polymers), and 10.10 (Introduction to Chemical Engineering). Hammond previously served as executive officer of the department in 2008 through 2011. Hammond received her BS in chemical engineering from MIT in 1984, her MS from Georgia Tech in 1988, and earned her PhD from MIT in 1993.