'The Promise of Nanomedicine'

Denison University welcomes Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Professor Teri Odom of Northwestern University for her lecture, “The Promise of Nanomedicine.”

Human health continues to benefit from advances in science, from the sequencing of the human genome to the development of vaccines to the design of drug-delivery vehicles. Nanomedicine, the diagnosis and treatment of disease using nanomaterials and nanotechnology tools, is becoming increasingly important because of the intrinsic advantages at the nanoscale (hundreds of times smaller than a human hair). This talk will describe how fundamental discoveries can be translated into commercial technologies, including how nanomedicine provided critical interventions for the COVID-19 pandemic, and prospects for the future. 

Odom is the Joan Husting Madden and William H. Madden, Jr. Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. She received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Stanford University, a Doctor of Philosophy in chemical physics from Harvard University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. She joined the Northwestern University faculty in 2002. 

The research focus of the Odom Group is the design, synthesis, and characterization of hierarchical nanomaterials. Her research centers on developing plasmonic and nano-optical systems to control light and matter at the nanoscale. These materials have diverse applications in fields ranging from bioimaging and cancer therapy to advanced photovoltaics and sensing. 

Professor Odom has received numerous honors for her work. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (2023) and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2022). She also received the American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in Surface Chemistry in 2020. Odom is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), the American Physical Society (APS), the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Materials Research Society (MRS), and the Royal Society of Chemistry. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Nano Letters. 

This lecture is sponsored by the Ronneberg Endowment and by Denison’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa (Theta of Ohio) as part of the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program, which connects undergraduates with distinguished scholars who visit campuses to offer lectures and engage with students and faculty.