Lorna Gibson
Matoula S. Salapatas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
areas of expertise: mechanical behavior of cellular materials (honeycombs, foams), microstructural modeling, biomaterials with a porous structure, bone mechanics, tissue engineering scaffolds, mechanical interactions between cells and porous scaffolds used in tissue engineering, engineering applications of material science
Lorna Gibson graduated in civil engineering from the University of Toronto in 1978 and obtained her PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1981. Between 1982 and 1984 she was an assistant professor in civil engineering at the University of British Columbia. In 1984, she moved to MIT, where she is currently the Matoula S. Salapatas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering.
Her research interests focus on the mechanics of materials with a cellular structure such as honeycombs and foams. Recent projects include the mechanics of fluid-filled open-cell foams for energy absorption; aerogels for thermal insulation; cellular materials in nature and in medicine; the mechanics of porous scaffolds for tissue engineering and the mechanical interactions of biological cells in tissue engineering scaffolds.
She is the co-author of the books Cellular Solids: Structure and Properties, Metal Foams: A Design Guide and Cellular Materials in Nature and Medicine. At MIT, she has served as chair of the Committee on Women Faculty in the School of Engineering (1999 to 2001), chair of the Faculty (2005 to 2006) and as associate provost (2006 to 2008).
request an interview: Sarah McDonnell | 617-253-8923 | s_mcd@mit.edu