Robert M. Nerem – International expert on mechanobiology, cellular engineering, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

Prof. Robert “Bob” Nerem, founding director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a member of both the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), died March 6 at Emory University Hospital after a long illness. Prof. Nerem was born in Evanston, IL, in 1937, the son of Norwegian emigres. He earned his bachelor's degree (1959) from the University of Oklahoma and his master's (1961) and Ph.D. (1964) in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Ohio State University. He began his academic career in the Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Ohio State in 1964, was promoted to full professor in 1972 and later served as associate dean for research in the graduate school. Prof. Nerem then moved to the University of Houston as professor and chair in 1979 before he was named the Parker H. Petit Distinguished Chair for Engineering in Medicine at Georgia Tech in 1986. In 1995, he launched the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and served as its director through 2009. He spent 33 years as professor at Georgia Tech, where he built one of the most impactful bioengineering research centers in the world. He played influential roles in the partnership between Georgia Tech and Emory University, including the formation of the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, a unique joint department of both universities.

Prof. Nerem was a pioneer and visionary in diverse fields. He studied the effects of blood flow-induced mechanical forces in atherogenesis, and was engaged in mechanobiology, cellular engineering, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. His vision, leadership, and influence extended beyond campus. He co-founded the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) as well as the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), and was a powerful voice in the bioengineering section of the NAE. He was influential in the establishment of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the NIH and served as its Senior Advisor for Bioengineering from 2003 to 2006.

Prof. Nerem had multiple extracurricular affiliations around the world, virtually all of them related to advancing bio-research or education in some fashion or another. He was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Council of Arterioscleroris, the American Heart Association, the American Physical Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Recognized on an international level, he was an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in the United Kingdom, and was a member, honorary or otherwise, of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Japan Society for Medical and Biological Engineering, and Swedish Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences. Dr. Nerem received the Founders Award of the National Academy of Engineering in 2008. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) established the Robert M. Nerem Education and Mentorship Medal to recognize his outstanding contributions to the field.

Prof. Nerem was widely recognized and loved by thousands of colleagues, mentees, and trainees. His interest in positively impacting everyone resulted in the creation of Project ENGAGES. Established in 2013 at Georgia Tech and headquartered at the Petit Institute, ENGAGES (which stands for Engaging New Generations at Georgia Tech through Engineering and Science) is a high school education program for underrepresented minority students. Students who are selected for the year-round program are immersed into university lab environment to work on research projects and participate in enrichment programs. So far, more than 130 Project ENGAGES students have completed the program and moved onto some of the best universities in the nation.

Bob Nerem, who lived in Stone Mountain, is survived by Marilyn, his wife of more than 40 years; his children, Steven Nerem and Nancy Nerem Black; Marilyn's children, Christy Maser and Carol Wilcox; and multiple grandchildren.

Uncle Bob, my dear friend and mentor, we will miss you. Rest in peace.