Posted on April 14, 2025 by Sean M. Wood
The American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) added two UTSA professors to its 2025 Class of Fellows. They join two other professors who were part of the inaugural cohort of Emerging Leaders announced in 2024.
New AIMBE Fellows are Graduate School Associate Dean Teja Guda, Ph.D. and Zachry Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering Department Endowed Chair Ender Finol, Ph.D.
The AIMBE College of Fellows comprises the top 2% of medical and biological engineers, making it one of the highest professional distinctions for these groups. Membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering and medicine research, practice, or education” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.”
Guda is the Jacobson Distinguished Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Professor, and Program Director of Biomedical Technology Commercialization, Biomedical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering. He was selected “for outstanding contributions to biomaterial mechanics pertinent to tissue engineering applications and dedicated student mentoring in biomedical design and entrepreneurship.”
Finol is a Professor and Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Heart Association (AHA). He was selected “for pioneering contributions in computational and experimental vascular fluid and solid mechanics in cardiovascular disease and optimization of medical devices.”
They joined Hugo Giambini, Ph.D., and Gabriela Romero Uribe, Ph.D. at AIMBE. Giambini and Uribe were in the original cohort of Emerging Leaders. Associate Professor Uribe is the Klesse Endowed Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Giambini is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering.
The Emerging Leaders Program aims to increase engagement with exceptional underrepresented professionals in medical and biological engineering (MBE), recognize outstanding rising leaders, and serve as a pipeline for leaders to AIMBE’s College of Fellows. Emerging leaders will be able to network and engage with AIMBE Fellows at the Annual Event and receive direct mentoring from current AIMBE Fellows.
— Sean M. Wood
