Princess Imoukhuede, a leader in systems biology research, engineering education, and academic diversity initiatives, has been named the new chair of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington in Seattle. The department is located in both the UW College of Engineering and the UW School of Medicine.
Her appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2022. She will hold the Hunter and Dorothy Simpson Endowed Chair and Professorship.
Imoukhuede (pronounced I-muh-KWU-e-de) is currently an associate professor of bioengineering and director of diversity initiatives in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.
During the national chair search, Imoukhuede was distinguished by her clear vision for the department, according to a letter announcing her appointment and jointly signed by Nancy Allbritton, the Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering, and Paul G. Ramsey, CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the UW School of Medicine. They noted that her presentations emphasized academic leadership, scholarship and teaching anchored in technical and inclusive excellence, and that her experience in heading diversity initiatives positions her to align the Department of Bioengineering with UW Medicine’s and the College of Engineering’s shared priorities in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Imoukhuede said she is looking forward to the collaborative atmosphere at the UW Department of Bioengineering.
“The department has the advantage of being housed in both the School of Medicine and the College of Engineering – so the value for collaboration is embedded within the structure of the department,” she noted. “The department has strong leadership in both the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute and the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. These connections are enabling foundational and translational biomedical collaborations. I plan to continue to grow these connections and to seek new areas for the department to collaborate.”
She added, “This is the perfect time to do so because of the launch of the College of Engineering strategic plan, which among its many goals aims to ‘accelerate solutions to critical health care issues.’” Imoukhuede said she is excited to help lead these efforts and to work with Tueng Shen, professor of ophthalmology and the new associate dean for medical technology innovation at UW Medicine, to expand collaboration across bioengineering and medicine.
