Christopher Jacobs Award for Excellence in Leadership

Summary

This award honors leadership excellence in the field of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) and is named in memory and honor of Christopher R. Jacobs, Ph.D.

Award Description

The BMES CMBE Christopher Jacobs Award recognizes leadership excellence in the Cell and Molecular Bioengineering community. Leadership is broadly defined and includes efforts in education, service, and publication/dissemination of knowledge related to the CMBE field. Dedicated service will also be recognized based on time and level of involvement in various programs and activities at regional, national, or international levels. Service to the field should demonstrate the nominee’s commitment to the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering community, willingness to give time and effort, and the ability to draw together varied resources to affect change in the community. 

This award is named in memory and honor of Christopher R. Jacobs, PhD. Dr. Jacobs received his BS in systems science and mathematics from Washington University in 1988, and his MS and PhD in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 1989 and 1994, respectively. In 1994, Dr. Jacobs joined the faculty of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Pennsylvania State University. Then in 2001, he joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. From 2008-2018, Dr. Jacobs was a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University. Among his honors, he won the prestigious Van C. Mow Medal in bioengineering and the Richard Skalak Award for best paper in the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. In addition to teaching and research, he co-authored an acclaimed textbook, “Introduction to Cell Mechanics and Mechanobiology.” Professor Jacobs embodied a culture of volunteerism as a co-founder and council member of the CMBE Special Interest Group (SIG). In honor of the decade-long service to the CMBE community, and for championing and leading the efforts to create a Special Interest Group in Cell and Molecular Bioengineering under the umbrella of the BMES parent organization, this award is being named in his honor. 

The recipient will be honored at the 2025 BMES CMBE Conference.

Award Application Requirements

The award recipient must be a BMES member in good standing. Submissions should include the following:

1. A nomination letter, no more than 2 pages, that describes the nominee's contributions in the following 4 categories:
   a. Leadership excellence
   b. Outstanding and impactful service to cell and molecular bioengineering community
   c. Excellence in mentoring of students/trainees and support of the community
   d. Demonstrated activity that has advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion
2. The nominee's full CV
3. Three letters of support that specifically address the categories described in item No. 1

Award Rubric

To view the award rubric, please click here.

Award

The recipient will receive a commemorative plaque and will be invited to deliver a lecture at the CMBE Annual Conference.

A financial component of this award is contingent upon the development of an endowment award fund. The CMBE SIG acknowledges the generous financial support of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University in establishing this award.

Award History and Rationale

For nearly 30 years, the Society for Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine (SPRBM) held annual meetings focused on the many biophysical influences in control of growth, repair, and remodeling in biology and medicine. Early in the 2000s, the SPRBM conference concentrated on the emerging field of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE). At that time, the field of cellular and molecular bioengineering was becoming an increasingly important area in the biomedical engineering community. In 2008, the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) formed a new society journal, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. Shortly thereafter, a few investigators, including Prof. Christopher Jacobs, spearheaded an inaugural joint BMES-SPRBM Conference on Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) held in 2011. The CMBE Conference features authoritative leaders in the field to showcase the current state of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering.  In addition to outstanding scientific programs, the conference recognizes Post-Doctoral and Graduate Student trainees (travel awards), junior faculty (Rising Star Award), and Lifetime Achievement in the field (Shu Chien Award). The history and success of the CMBE conference and SIG is grounded in the culture of volunteerism embodied by its founders and council members over the years.  In honor of the decade-long service to the CMBE community, and for championing and leading the efforts to create a Scientific Interest Group in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering under the umbrella of the BMES parent organization, this award is being named in honor of Christopher Jacobs, Ph.D.  

BMES CMBE Christopher Jacobs Award for Excellence in Leadership Award Recipients

2024 – Michael King, PhD, Vanderbilt University 

2023 – Lol Eniola-Adefeso, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

2022 – Lori Setton, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis

2021 – George Truskey, PhD, Duke University

2020 – X. Edward Guo, PhD, Columbia