Jessica Larsen appointed to Carol and John Cromer ’63 Family Endowed Associate Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Jessica Larsen has been selected as the new Carol and John Cromer ’63 Family Endowed Associate Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

Her scholarship and research, the positive impact she is having on students and her support for women’s causes eminently qualify her for this honor.

Larsen and her students conduct research in the field of polymeric nanotechnology, working to develop materials that respond to diseases in the central nervous system.

She received a 2021 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to research GM1 gangliosidosis, a project inspired by a sick 4-year-old boy she met while conducting research as a graduate student at Auburn University. Her research into the disease is continuing with a National Institutes of Health grant to develop Nanoparticle Distributed Intravenous Enzyme Replacement Therapy (NanoDIVERT).

Larsen’s scholarship is reflected in the multiple awards she has won since joining Clemson in 2017. They include the 2022 Governor’s Young Scientist Award for Excellence in Scientific Research, the 2021 Faculty Outstanding Woman Award from Clemson University’s Commission on Women and the 2021 Dean’s Professor Award. The Royal Society of Chemistry recognized her as a 2022 Emerging Innovator.

Larsen goes above and beyond to connect with her students and mentor them to success. The awards that Larsen’s students have won are a testament to her impactful leadership and support. Their honors include first place in four poster contests, and three of her mentees have won chemical and biomolecular engineering Researcher of the Year.

The award was announced via email by David Bruce, chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Anand Gramopadhye, dean of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences.

They thanked the committee and its chairperson, Scott Husson, for conducting the search that led to Larsen’s selection. They also thanked the Cromer family for making this professorship possible. saying their leadership is helping to strengthen a faculty already packed with all stars, including Larsen.

“She is a highly deserving recipient of this professorship,” Bruce and Gramopadhye wrote. “Please join us in congratulating her on this high honor.”