Kelly Burke Appointed Director of IMS Polymer Program from the Institute of Materials Science
Dr. Kelly Burke
Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Kelly Burke, has been appointed Director of Polymer Program at the Institute of Materials Science (IMS). Kelly joined the UConn faculty in 2014 as an assistant professor with an appointment in IMS. She earned her Ph.D. in macromolecular science and engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 2010. Since her arrival at UConn, Kelly has distinguished herself with an impressive array of honors including UConn’s Research Excellence Program (REP) Award, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Award, and the NSF CAREER Award. She has also collaborated with UConn colleagues on projects including the CT Regenerative Medicine Research Fund Award collaboration with Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Anson Ma, and the National Science Foundation’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) with Professor and Head of Marine Sciences, J. Evan Ward. Kelly was also honored as Faculty Mentor to the 2017 UConn SURF Award winner. Her research interests include synthesis and structure-property relationships of multifunctional polymeric materials, stimuli responsive polymers and networks, natural and synthetic biomaterials, and the design and application of polymeric systems to modulate inflammation and promote healing. IMS Director Steven L. Suib announced the appointment noting that, “Kelly brings a lot of new ideas, energy, and support for this program.” She succeeds Luyi Sun in the position.
www.ims.uconn.edu
6
