UTSA Endowed and Named Chairs and Professorships   Profiles   The Lutcher Brown Endowed Chair
UTSA Endowed and Named Chairs and Professorships
Rena Bizios, Ph.D.
Lutcher Brown Endowed Distinguished University Chair
In 2003, former UTSA President Ricardo Romo pledged $7 million of the endowment’s corpus to fund seven Lutcher Brown Distinguished Chairs that have provided a perpetual source of funding to support the holder’s research and teaching activities. The prestigious Lutcher Brown Endowed Distinguished University Chair was created in 2022 by repurposing one of those positions.

Rena Bizios, Ph.D.

Lutcher Brown Endowed Distinguished University Chair

Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Professor Rena Bizios is a nationally and internationally recognized pioneer of education and research in the field of biomedical engineering. A chemical/biomedical engineer by training who pursued a career in academia, Bizios' groundbreaking endeavors contributed to the understanding of cell-material interactions at the tissue/implant interface, cell and protein interactions with nanostructured materials, and the effects of pressure and electric current stimulation on new tissue formation at the cellular, molecular and gene levels. The results of this research provided seminal insight and contributions to scientific and engineering fundamentals in applications of implant biomaterials, tissue engineering, and new tissue formation/regeneration. 

Bizios has taught various undergraduate and graduate fundamental engineering and biomedical engineering courses as well as developed new courses for biomedical engineering curricula. She co-authored the textbook An Introduction to Tissue-Biomaterial Interactions, co-edited the Biological Interactions on Material Surfaces: Understanding and Controlling Protein, Cell and Tissue Responses book, authored/co-authored scientific publications and book chapters, and is co-inventor of several patents/disclosures. 

Bizios has advised both undergraduate and graduate students and trained them in research. She has also mentored junior engineering and science faculty. She has given numerous presentations at scientific conferences and invited seminars/lectures in academic institutions and industry. She has also organized and/or co-chaired numerous symposia and sessions at regional, national, and international conferences. She has been member and active participant (including elected officer positions) in several professional societies. Bizios has been a member of the editorial board for five scientific/engineering journals and has participated in various national-level review committees as well as served on numerous departmental, School/College of Engineering and institute/university committees. 

Bizios received the following awards, recognitions and honors for her contributions to education and  research: Outstanding Alumna in Engineering Award, Society of Women Engineers, College of Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (1985); Rensselaer Alumni Association Teaching Award, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (1997); Clemson Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Literature, Society for Biomaterials (1998); Distinguished Scientist Award, Houston Society for Engineering in Medicine and Biology (2009); Women’s Initiatives Mentorship Excellence Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2010); Founders Award, Society for Biomaterials (2014); Theo C. Pilkington Outstanding Educator Award  Biomedical Engineering Division, American Society for Engineering Education (2014); Amber Award, UTSA Ambassadors (2014); election as Charter Member of the Academy of Distinguished Researchers, The University of Texas at San Antonio (2015); Excellence in STEM Education Award, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2018); Excellence in Biomaterials Science Award, Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation (2019); Award for Innovation in Healthcare and Bioscience, BioMed SA, San Antonio, TX (2020); William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement, Sigma Xi (2022); and the Margaret H. Rousseau Award for Lifetime Achievement by a Woman Chemical Engineer, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2022).

Bizios is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUSBES), the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She is also member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST), the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE), the Academy of Athens, Greece, the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S).