NORMAN, OKLA. – Two University of Oklahoma scientists, Ann West and Resham Bhattacharya, were recently elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s College of Fellows, representing the top 2% of experts in their fields.
West holds the the Grayce B. Kerr Centennial Chair in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is an associate vice president for research and partnerships and director of a National Institutes of Health-funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in structural biology. She was elected for her “outstanding scientific contributions to molecular engineering and visionary academic leadership in promoting interdisciplinary biosciences and biomedical engineering research.”
Bhattacharya is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the OU College of Medicine, co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program and an Oklahoma’s Tobacco Settle Endowment Trust (TSET) research scholar. She was elected for her “pioneering BMI1 research in ovarian cancer, leading to clinical trials and key insights into cellular uptake and delivery.”
To be elected an AIMBE Fellow, a researcher must demonstrate significant contributions to medical and biological engineering research, education or practice, as well as to professional societies or public service. AIMBE Fellows represent the most accomplished leaders in the fields of medical and biological engineering.
Learn more about the 2025 AIMBA Fellows and view the full list of honorees.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
Three University of Oklahoma graduate students have been named winners of the 2025 Three Minute Thesis competition, which challenges participants to explain their research in three minutes to a non-specialist audience.
Sarah Sharif, a researcher with the University of Oklahoma, has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to create innovative light detectors that pick up mid-wave and long-wave infrared signals at higher temperatures than previously considered achievable.
A team from OU and WVU recently earned a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how concept cigarillos influence the potential for addiction. The results will be used to inform the FDA’s impending flavor ban on cigar products and could have wider-reaching implications for other tobacco products that come in flavors, such as e-cigarettes and tobacco-free nicotine pouches.