Jonathan Rivnay receives prestigious honor for young faculty

Northwestern University biomedical engineer Jonathan Rivnay has received a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the foundation’s most prestigious honor for junior faculty members.

Rivnay will receive $550,000 over five years from NSF’s Division of Materials Research to support both research and education initiatives.

“It is an honor to receive the CAREER award,” said Rivnay, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering. “It is a recognition by other researchers in the field that our research and education goals are impactful and of interest to the broader community.”

The CAREER Award supports early career development of individuals who exemplify the role of teacher-scholar through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research.

Rivnay’s primary research goal is to understand and design new polymer-based bioelectronic materials that can conduct an electrical current and interact readily with water and ions in order to measure bio-signals or to affect change in a biological system. By blurring the boundary between engineered electronics and biological tissues, these materials could enable next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic tools. With the award, Rivnay will also work to enhance public scientific literacy and community engagement with bioelectronics and technology.