Paula Hammond
Paula Therese Hammond (born September 3, 1963) is an Institute Professor and former Dean of the School of Engineering at MIT, renowned for pioneering layer-by-layer assembly of polymers and nanoparticles for drug delivery, wound healing, cancer treatment, and energy applications.[1][2] She earned her BS from MIT in 1984, MS from Georgia Tech in 1988, and PhD from MIT in 1993, joining the MIT faculty in 1995, and became the first woman and person of color to head the Chemical Engineering department in 2015.[1][6] Hammond cofounded the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies and LayerBio, and has received numerous awards including the 2024 Othmer Gold Medal.[2]