Two UCLA Samueli School of Engineering faculty members — Nasim Annabi and Jun Chen — have been elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s College of Fellows.
The honor recognizes the top 2% of medical and biological engineers who have made outstanding contributions to their fields through research, practice or education. Annabi and Chen are among the 168 members of the 2026 class of fellows.
Annabi, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, was cited for her “outstanding contributions to the development and clinical translation of biomaterials for surgical repair, regenerative medicine and targeted drug delivery.”
Her research has enabled the design and engineering of multifunctional biomaterials with tunable properties, leading to advances in tissue engineering, ultra-strong bioadhesives and nanoengineered systems for targeted drug delivery and gene therapy.
Chen, an associate professor of bioengineering, was recognized for “pioneering the discovery of giant magnetoelasticity in soft material systems and advancing its application in novel magnetoelastic bioelectronics.”
His research on the magnetoelastic effect, as demonstrated in soft materials, has opened new possibilities for flexible, self-powered bioelectronics, with applications in personalized health care and sustainable energy.
In addition to the 2026 fellows, AIMBE announced its new board of director members, including chair-elect for the 2026-2027 College of Fellows, Song Li. Li is chancellor’s professor of bioengineering at UCLA Samueli and the school’s associate dean for graduate and professional education. He has a joint appointment in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and is a member of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA.