Type Of Business:
University
Expertise:
Protein aggregation; Membrane protein production
Major Product/SVS:
Higher education
Education Degrees:
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Master of Science, Johns Hopkins University
Affiliations Awards:
Board Member, Bioengineering and Biotechnical Journals; American Chemical Society; American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
Work History:
Chair, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Tulane University and Catherine and Henry Boh Professor Engineering, (2012); Full Professor, Associate Chair, University of Delaware
Charity:
Advisory Board Member, Northwestern University Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (2010); Member, Advisory Committee for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Food and Drug Administration (2006-2011); ACS BIOT Division Awards Chair (2008-2011); Advisory Board Member, UMBC Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (2010); Co-Chair, Biochemical Engineering XVI (2009); Advisory Board, BioXXcel Educational Project (2007-2009); Vice-Chair, Biochemical Engineering XV (2007); Chair, American Chemical Society BIOT Division (2006); Chair Elect, American Chemical Society BIOT Division (2005); Program Co-Chair, American Chemical Society BIOT Division (2004); Member, NSF Future of Engineering Education Workshop (2001); Chair and Organizer, Mid-Atlantic BioEngineering Consortium (2000); Provost’s National Advisory Board for the Initiative to Diversify the Professoriate in Engineering and Science, MIT (1995-1997)
Number Of Years In Profession:
17
Number Of Years In Current Position:
14
What Does He/She Attribute Success To:
She attributes her success to her hard work, persistence and tenacity, and her passion to make a difference for students.
Why did you become involved in your profession or industry?:
She became involved in her profession because she enjoys the opportunity to interact with students.
Extended Bio Profile:
Dr. Robinson has written approximately 60 articles and edited a book titled, "Production of Membrane Proteins: Strategies for Expression and Isolation."
She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. She obtained her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and was an NIH postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at MIT before joining the faculty at UD. Her honors include a DuPont Young Professor Award, and a National Science Foundation Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (PECASE) Award, and more recently being inducted into AIMBE. She has several patents and over 55 publications in the field of biochemical engineering.
The Robinson laboratory is interested in understanding the fundamental interactions between molecules, both in isolation and in the complex environment of the cell. To this end, they are investigating the determinants of protein folding and misfolding on the molecular and cellular levels. They have developed several novel approaches to inhibit protein misfolding and aggregation. Another main focus of the lab is improving production of “difficult-to-express” proteins that comprise major therapeutic and bioprocess targets. These targets include membrane proteins (such as GPCRs), and proteins from extremophiles. Dr. Robinson has raised over $3 million in grants as a principal investigator from NSF, NIH and private foundations, and $20 million as a co-investigator from NIH. She also has led a $2.5 million NSF-funded IGERT multidisciplinary graduate training program in biotechnology.
Position Responsibilities and Duties:
Advising students; Setting curriculum; Teaching undergraduate students; Supervising research
Awards/Honors:
Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2011); NSF Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (2000-2005); PECASE Award, Subset of Career Award winners; DuPont Young Professor (2000-2003); Outstanding Junior Faculty Member, College of Engineering, University of Delaware (2002); Sixth Annual Frontiers in Engineering, National Academy of Engineering, (2000); NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship (1996-1997); Clare Booth Luce Graduate Fellowship (1992-1994); Department of Defense Fellowship (1989-1992); NSF Creativity Award for Scientists and Engineers (1988-1989); National Science Foundation Fellowship Awarded (1988); Tau Beta Pi Fellowship (1988-1989); Beneficial Hodson Scholarship, Johns Hopkins University (1984-1988)
Where Will You Be In 5 Years:
In five years, Dr. Robinson intends to move up to an administrative position.