Cato T. Laurencin named inaugural UConn Engineering Faculty Innovator of the Year

Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin has been named the inaugural UConn Engineering Faculty Innovator of the Year. Sponsored by the Matthew & Margarethe Mashikian Innovation & Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub), the award recognizes faculty members who successfully translate academic research into commercial and technological applications.

Laurencin, a professor in the chemical and biomolecular engineering and materials science and engineering departments at the University of Connecticut, was honored for his pioneering work in regenerative engineering. His research includes the development of nanofiber technologies for tissue regeneration, polymer-ceramic systems for bone repair, and the Laurencin-Cooper Ligament, a bioengineered matrix designed to support natural regeneration.

Recent innovations highlighted include the ‘Light Soft Actuated Bionic Regenerative Engineering (SABRE)’ system, a wearable soft-robotic orthosis designed to promote cartilage regeneration, and ‘Amnion Laurencin,’ an injectable cover made from amnion tissue to aid wound healing. Additionally, Laurencin recently delivered a keynote address on the future of regenerative engineering at the National Academy of Inventors 15th Annual Conference in Los Angeles.