Milica Radisic receives International Humboldt Research Award

Milica Radisic, a professor in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry and in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, has received a 2023 Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. 

Named for the famed naturalist, explorer and patron, the award honours the academic achievements of internationally recognized scientists and scholars from outside of Germany. Award winners are also invited to carry out their own research project in Germany for six months to a year, and they receive 60,000 euros, which can be used to fund the project and travel.

“This is a huge honour. The award is one of the most prestigious international recognitions a scientist can get,” says Radisic, who holds the Canada Research Chair in organ-on-a-chip engineering.

A leading expert in bioengineering human tissues and the design of microfluidic chips, Radisic will begin working with Professor Ulrike Nuber of the Technical University of Darmstadt next year at her lab, which focuses on creating disease models from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Together, they will partner with researchers at Charité, the Berlin University of Medicine – one of Europe's largest university hospitals – to develop a vascularized organ-on-a-chip model.

“This opportunity will allow me and my colleagues from the Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies to build a bridge across the Atlantic and connect with our colleagues from Germany, who have really interesting ideas about the role of endothelial cells and endothelial dysfunction in creating multi-organ failure,” Radisic says.

Read the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering story