Melissa Grunlan

Melissa Grunlan
Born
Bismarck, North Dakota, US
Academic background
EducationBSc, Chemistry, MSc, Polymers and Coatings, 1997, North Dakota State University
PhD, Chemistry, 2004, University of Southern California
ThesisCrosslinked siloxanes: preparation and properties (2004)
Academic work
InstitutionsTexas A&M University
Websitegrunlanresearchgroup.org

Melissa A. Grunlan (née Deisz) is an American scientist and professor. She is the holder of the Charles H. and Bettye Barclay Professorship in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, a position she's held since 2018.[1][2] She also holds courtesy appointments in the Departments of Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering.

Her work spans several fields, including materials science, chemistry, and bioengineering, broadly focusing on the development of polymeric biomaterials for regenerative medicine and medical devices. Grunlan has published more than 120 journal articles,[3] with particular emphasis on the areas of antifouling silicones, hydrogels, and shape memory polymers.

Early life and education

Grunlan was born to parents Mike and Angie Deisz in Bismarck, North Dakota.[4] As a student at St. Mary's Central High School, she was a member of the National Honor Society for three years.[5] Grunlan graduated with honors from St. Mary's in 1991.[5] While completing her Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at North Dakota State University, Grunlan received a NASA research fellowship to assist her studies in synthetic organic research.[4] Upon graduating with her BSc and master's degree, Grunlan was employed at the H.B. Fuller Company for four years and then enrolled at the University of Southern California for her PhD in chemistry.[6] She received a Doctoral Dissertation Award from USC's College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.[7] Following her PhD, Grunlan was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M University.[8]

Career

Following her PhD and post-doctoral fellowship, Grunlan joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M as a tenure track assistant professor in August 2005. As a professor in this department, she focused on tailoring polymer structures at the molecular level to improve their utility in medical devices.[8] In recognition of her research, she was awarded a 2010–11 Herbert H. Richardson Faculty Fellow Award.[9] She has worked on the development of "self-cleaning membranes" to enable the development of subcutaneous glucose biosensors.[10][11] Grunlan was soon appointed the director of undergraduate programs in biomedical engineering.[12] In 2014, Grunlan created a polymer foam to precisely fill a bone defect before hardening into a porous material in order to treat facial defects.[13]

By 2017, Grunlan's laboratory focused on developing new polymeric biomaterials for medical devices and regenerative therapies. As an associate professor, she continued work on developing self-cleaning membranes for implanted biosensors, clot-resistant coatings for blood-contacting devices, and scaffolds for bone repair and for the regeneration of osteochondral interfaces. As such, she was named among the inaugural class of Texas A&M's Presidential Impact Fellows.[14] The following year, Grunlan was recognized as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering for "outstanding contributions for the development of polymeric biomaterials for medical devices and regenerative engineering scaffolds."[15]

Outside of Texas A&M, Grunlan has been recognized for her work developing synthetic polymeric biomaterials for implanted medical devices and for regenerative engineering. In 2019, Grunlan was recognized as a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS) for her research on regenerative medicine, specifically to develop tissue engineering scaffolds that can help heal orthopedic tissues.[16] The following year, she was named the 2020 Chancellor Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship Fellow.[17] After serving as 2018 Chair for ACS' Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division, Grunlan was recognized with their 2021 Distinguished Service Award.[18] In 2022, she was named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors[19] and became a Fellow of the ACS' Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division.[20]

Certifications and Memberships

  • Associate editor for ACS Macro Letters[21]
  • Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) (inducted 2018)[2][22][23]
  • Fellow, American Chemical Society (ACS) (inducted 2019)[2][24][25]
  • Senior Member, National Academy of Inventors (NAI) (inducted 2022)[2][26][27][28]
  • Fellow, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) (inducted 2022)[29]
  • Fellow, ACS Division of Polymeric Materials Science & Engineering (PMSE) (inducted 2022)[2][30][31]

Awards and honors

  • Doctoral Research Award (University of Southern California, College of Letters, Arts & Sciences; 2005)[2]
  • Herbert H. Richardson Faculty Fellow Award, 2010[2]
  • British Petroleum Teaching Excellence Award, 2012[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Grunlan, Melissa A." engineering.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Melissa Grunlan". artsci.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  3. ↑ "Google Scholar". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  4. 1 2 "Diesz earns NASA prize". The Bismarck Tribune. December 18, 1994. Retrieved April 22, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 "St. Mary's Central High School". The Bismarck Tribune. May 16, 1991. Retrieved April 22, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Melissa A. Grunlan". Texas A&M University. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Student News" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-26.
  8. 1 2 "The Texas A&M University System Meeting of the Board of Regents" (PDF). Texas A&M University. March 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Texas A & M Engineering honors faculty for excellence in teaching, research and service". Electrical Engineering News and Products. May 6, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  10. ↑ Nortman, Katie (January 22, 2013). "Self-cleaning membrane aids in diabetic research". The Battalion. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  11. ↑ Grinovich, Zach (April 19, 2015). "A&M diabetes research could end painful insulin tests". The Battalion. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Distinguished Achievement Award Winners". The Association of Former Students. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  13. ↑ "New material could enable new facial reconstruction treatment". Phys.org. October 1, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Engineering faculty among inaugural class of Texas A&M's Presidential Impact Fellows". Texas A&M University. March 10, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Dr. Melissa Grunlan Inducted into Medical and Biological Engineering Elite". American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  16. ↑ Reiley, Jennifer (October 23, 2019). "Grunlan named American Chemical Society Fellow". Texas A&M University. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Engineering faculty named Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship fellows". Texas A&M University. October 14, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  18. ↑ "2021 PMSE Distinguished Service Award to Melissa Grunlan". American Chemical Society. March 14, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Engineering faculty named National Academy of Inventors Senior Members". Texas A&M University. February 11, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  20. ↑ "PMSE Fellows".
  21. ↑ "ACS Macro Letters Editorial Board – ACS Publications". pubs.acs.org. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  22. ↑ "Melissa A. Grunlan, Ph.D. COF-3048 - AIMBE". Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  23. ↑ "Melissa A. Grunlan, Ph.D. COF-3048 - AIMBE". Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  24. ↑ Reiley, Jennifer. "Grunlan named American Chemical Society Fellow". engineering.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  25. ↑ Reiley, Jennifer. "Grunlan named American Chemical Society Fellow". engineering.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  26. ↑ Engineering, Texas A&M. "Engineering faculty named National Academy of Inventors Senior Members". engineering.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  27. ↑ Read, 2 Min (2022-02-11). "Four A&M Professors Named As NAI Senior Members". Texas A&M Stories. Retrieved 2026-04-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ↑ Engineering, Texas A&M. "Engineering faculty named National Academy of Inventors Senior Members". engineering.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  29. ↑ "Announcing the 2022 Award Winners and Class of Fellows". www.bmes.org. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  30. ↑ "PMSE Fellows – PMSE". Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  31. ↑ "PMSE Fellows – PMSE". Retrieved 2026-07-08.
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