Dr. Frances Ligler Elected to American Institute for
Medical and Biological Engineer's College of Fellows

Naval Research Laboratory scientist, Dr. Frances Ligler, has been elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering's (AIMBE) College of Fellows. Dr. Ligler was nominated by her peers and was elected by the full membership into the official College of Fellows Class of 2012 "for engineering automated biosensors for fast, on-site detection of pathogens, toxins, pollutants, drugs of abuse, and explosives."

NRL's Dr. Frances Ligler is elected to AIMBE's College of Fellows. Left to right: Dr. Alan Russell, Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the 2012 Chair of AIMBE's College of Fellows, Dr. Ligler, and Dr. Kenneth Lutchen, Dean of Engineering at Boston University and AIMBE's President.
(Photo: American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering)

Ligler is the Navy's Senior Scientist for Biosensors and Biomaterials and a member and past chair of the Bioengineering Section of the National Academy of Engineering. She earned a B.S. degree from Furman University and both a D.Phil. and a D.Sc. from Oxford University.

Currently working in the fields of biosensors and microfluidics, Ligler has also performed research in biochemistry, immunology, and proteomics. She has over 350 full-length publications and patents, which have led to eleven commercial biosensor products and have been cited over 7500 times.

Ligler is the winner of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Medal, the National Drug Control Policy Technology Transfer Award, the Chemical Society Hillebrand Award, the Navy Merit Award, the Naval Research Laboratory Technology Transfer Award, three NRL Edison Awards for Patent of the Year, the Furman University Bell Tower and Distinguished Alumni of the 20th Century Awards, and the national Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Outstanding Achievement in Science Award.

Ligler serves as an Associate Editor of Analytical Chemistry and on editorial/advisory boards for Biosensors & Bioelectronics, Analytical Bioanalytical Chemistry, Sensors, Open Optics, and Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. Elected an SPIE Fellow in 2000, she also serves on the organizing committee for the World Biosensors Congress and the permanent steering committee for Europt(r)odes, the European Conference on Optical Sensors. In 2003, she was awarded the Homeland Security Award (Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Field) by the Christopher Columbus Foundation and the Presidential Rank of Distinguished Senior Professional by President Bush.

AIMBE's College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers in the country. Engineering and medical school chairs, research directors, innovators, and successful entrepreneurs, comprise the College of Fellows to pursue AIMBE's mission to provide leadership and advocacy in medical and biological engineering for the advancement of society.

Since 1991, the College of Fellows has led the way for technological growth and advancement in the fields of medical and biological engineering. Fellows have helped revolutionize medicine and related fields in order to enhance and extend the lives of people all over the world. They have also successfully advocated for public policies that have enabled researchers and business-makers to further the interests of engineers, scientists, and ultimately, patients.

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy's full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development. The Laboratory, with a total complement of nearly 2,500 personnel, is located in southwest Washington, D.C., with other major sites at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Monterey, Calif. NRL has served the Navy and the nation for over 85 years and continues to meet the complex technological challenges of today's world. For more information, visit the NRL homepage or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Comment policy: We hope to receive submissions from all viewpoints, but we ask that all participants agree to the Department of Defense Social Media User Agreement. All comments are reviewed before being posted.