Rong Wang, a distinguished researcher focused on the intersection of materials science, biochemistry, bioengineering, and nanotechnology, has joined WPI as the John C. Metzger Jr. Professor and Department Head in Chemistry and Biochemistry.
“It is my honor to welcome Dr. Wang to campus,” said Jean King, Peterson Family Dean of Arts & Sciences. “Her commitment to advancing biomedical solutions and building cross-disciplinary collaborations aligns perfectly with WPI’s mission to address pressing global challenges through project-based learning, research, and innovation.”
Wang comes to WPI from the Illinois Institute of Technology, where she established and oversaw the expansion of the International Center for Sensor Science and Engineering, a hub for faculty, industry professionals, and startups.
Her research focuses on biomedical applications, including a National Institutes of Health-funded exploration of therapies for pelvic organ prolapse, a painful condition experienced by women that affects connective tissue strength. Working with clinicians, Wang developed ways to use a patient’s own cells to develop personalized, cost-effective treatments.
Funded by a separate, ongoing NIH grant, Wang partnered with local dentists in Illinois to develop a saliva-based sensor combining biomarkers with artificial intelligence to detect and monitor periodontal disease. She also established collaborations to reskill veterans with technical and “soft” skills that readied them for life sciences careers, via a workforce development grant from the National Science Foundation.
Wang is a standing member of the NIH Cellular and Molecular Technologies Study Section and an associate editor of Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, and is on the Editorial Boards of Bioengineering and Journal of Functional Biomaterials. She received a bachelor’s degree from Jilin University in 1990 and a PhD from the University of Tokyo in 1996. She was a Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1998 to 2000.
