Mechanical Engineering Professor Earns Honors
Dr. Mark W. Spong
Dr. Zhenpeng Qin, associate professor of mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Honorees, who are nominated by ASME members and fellows, must have 10 or more years of active practice and at least 10 years of active corporate membership in ASME. The distinction has been given to just over 3% of the organization’s more than 90,000 members worldwide.
In recent years, Qin has led the development of a more accurate rapid virus test for diagnosing infectious diseases, a technique to open the blood-brain barrier temporarily to deliver medication to the brain and tools that make it possible to study how neuropeptides affect brain circuits and how they affect behavior in real time. He and his colleagues launched Avsana Labs, of which he is president, to commercialize the rapid-test technology through UT Dallas’ Venture Development Center.
“I am sincerely grateful for the recognition as an ASME fellow, a recognition that embodies the culmination of my dedication and passion in the field of biomechanical engineering and biotransport,” said Qin, Fellow, Eugene McDermott Professor at UTD. “It is with utmost appreciation that I acknowledge the invaluable support, mentorship and collaboration from esteemed colleagues and students, whose collective efforts have propelled our research endeavors in developing nanoengineering tools to better understand, diagnose and treat brain dysfunction.”
In addition to his primary appointment in mechanical engineering, he is an affiliated faculty member in UTD’s Department of Bioengineering and an adjunct faculty member in UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Department of Surgery.
Qin’s research has been funded by the American Heart Association, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, National Institutes of Health, and National Science Foundation. He has received numerous honors for his research, including the 2022 Y.C. Fung Early Career Award from the ASME.
A version of this article appeared in News Center.