Winner: 2023 Centenary Prize
Professor Mark Grinstaff
Boston University
For pioneering advances and translational research using innovative polymer platforms for new drug delivery systems and medical applications, and for excellence in communication.

Professor Grinstaff’s research is highly interdisciplinary and focuses on how to apply fundamental principles in chemistry and biology to create new medical devices, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
Biography
Professor Mark W Grinstaff is the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, º£½ÇÉçÇø, Materials Science and Engineering, and Medicine at Boston University (BU). He is also the Director of BU’s Nanotechnology Innovation Center and the Director of the NIH T32 Biomaterials Program ‘Translational Research in Biomaterials’. Mark's awards include the ACS Nobel Laureate Signature Award, NSF Career Award, Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, Alfred P Sloan Research Fellowship, the Edward M Kennedy Award for Health Care Innovation, the Clemson Award for Applied Research, and the ACS Award in Applied Polymer Science. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Academy of Nanomedicine, the American Institute of Chemists, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Royal Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Medicine, the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Founding Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Over the course of his tenure, Mark’s ground-breaking research has yielded more than 400 peer reviewed publications, more than 200 patents and patent applications, and more than 325 oral presentations. His work has been cited over 40,000 times. He is an entrepreneur and co-founder, and his innovative ideas have led to several new regulatory approved products that are now the standard of care. His current research activities involve the synthesis of new macromolecules and biomaterials, self-assembly chemistry, imaging contrast agents, drug delivery, and wound repair.
Q&A with Professor Mark Grinstaff
Can you tell us about a scientific development on the horizon that you are excited about?
I am excited about developing new biotherapeutics for treating musculoskeletal diseases, which afflict 100s of millions of individuals worldwide. Today’s treatments do not focus on the underlying cause of the disease. This is an underexplored and ignored area of modern healthcare.
What does good research culture look like/mean to you?
A good research culture is one where we work together as a team to advance research and make a difference in society while embracing diverse backgrounds and expertise. In a team, we are free to discuss ideas, to openly analyse data, to ask hard questions, to receive critical feedback, and to recognise that everyone’s contribution is important.