Dr. Mark Prausnitz, professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, was awarded the title of Regents' Professor by the Georgia Board of Regents.  The designation of Regents' Professor is reserved for faculty members who have achieved national and international distinction.  It serves as a recognition of the highest academic merit.  

Dr. Prausnitz received his BS in 1988 from Stanford University and his PhD in 1994 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He is the Director of the Center for Drug Design, Development and Delivery within ChBE and a Cherry L. Emerson Faculty Fellow.

Dr. Prausnitz and his colleagues carry out research on biophysical methods of drug delivery, which employ microneedles, ultrasound, lasers, electric fields, heat, convective forces and other physical means to control the transport of drugs, proteins, genes and vaccines into and within the body.

A major area of focus involves the use of microneedle patches to apply vaccines to the skin in a painless, minimally invasive manner. In collaboration with Emory University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations, Dr. Prausnitz’s group is advancing microneedles from device design and fabrication through pharmaceutical formulation and pre-clinical animal studies through studies in human subjects.