Assistant Director, NSF-ENG Directorate

Susan Margulies

Dr. Margulies joined the National Science Foundation to lead the Directorate of Engineering in August 2021 after leading Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. She received her BSE in Mechanical and AerospaceEngineering at Princeton and PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and post-doctoral training at the Mayo Clinic.

She is internationally recognized for pioneering studies spanning the micro-to-macro scales to identify mechanisms underlying brain injuries in children and adolescents, and lung injuries associated with mechanical ventilation, leading to improved injury prevention, diagnosis and treatments. Focusing on structural and functional responses of the brain and lung to their mechanical environment, her lab has developed novel methods and models identified injury tolerances, response cascades, and causal signaling pathways; and translated these discoveries to preclinical therapeutic trials to mitigate and prevent brain and lung injuries in children and adults. Her research program has disseminated findings in over 185 peer-reviewed publication. Dr. Margulies has launched numerous training and mentorship programs for students and faculty, created institute-wide initiatives to enhance diversity and inclusion, and has led innovative projects in engineering education.

Dr. Margulies’ transdisciplinary scholarly impact has been recognized by her election the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Biomedical Engineering Society, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.