Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the University of Maryland
Peter Kofinas is a Keystone Professor of Bioengineering and Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the University of Maryland.
He as an associate dean for Faculty Affairs and Graduate Programs at University of Maryland. His research is focused in the synthesis characterization and processing of novel polymer based materials used in a variety of technological fields ranging from medicine to energy storage and microelectronics. He is currently working on issues such as the solution blow spun functional polymers as topical and surgical sealants, the design of synthetic polymer hemostatics, the design of polymers that change color upon detection of pathogens, the point-of-care diagnostic biosensors for urea cycle disorders in infants, the functional magnetodielectric polymer nanocomposites for flexible antennas and the all-solid, shape-conforming, non-flammable, polymer electrolytes for lithium ion batteries.
Peter Kofinas received his High School Diploma from Athens College in 1985. He then received Bachelors and Masters of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1989 and in 1996 he completed both this MSCEP in Chemical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering as part of the interdisciplinary Program of Polymer Science and Technology (PPST).
In 1996, he started working at the University of Maryland. He was an assistant professor in the department of Materials Science and Engineering, a position he kept until July 2001, an associate professor in the department of Chemical Engineering, a position he kept until 2007 and also had the role of Director of Graduate Studies in Bioengineering, a position he kept until September 2012. From 2006 until 2012, he also held the position of Associate Chair at the Fischell Department of Bioengineering.
Today, the Greek Professor is a Keystone Professor of Bioengineering and from July 2017 he was appointed Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Peter Kofinas has made publications with more than 2,000 citations, can speak five languages, and has been awarded with the Faculty Outstanding Service Award, with the Senior Faculty Outstanding Research Award and with the Engaged Faculty Award.