Ryan Gilbert, a professor of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and X. George Xu, the Edward E. Hood Endowed Chair Professor Emeritus of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, have been elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) 2021 class of fellows.

AIMBE is a nonprofit organization that represents “the most accomplished individuals in the fields of medical and biological engineering.” Its mission is to “provide leadership and advocacy in medical and biological engineering for the benefit of society.”

Gilbert’s research focuses on developing biomaterials to provide targeted treatment to the damaged nervous system. He and his lab aim to change cell behavior in order to enable and promote nerve regeneration.

He is a member of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Rensselaer, and serves as a member of the Bioengineering of Neuroscience, Vision and Low Vision Technologies Study Section for the National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review. He serves as editor-in-chief of the journal Cells Tissues Organs. He previously chaired a Department of Veterans Affairs Panel in the area of rehabilitation research and development.

Xu is an internationally recognized expert on radiation dosimetry and safety, involving computational methods of quantifying radiation doses in patients for clinical imaging and therapeutic procedures.

He joined the faculty at Rensselaer in 1995 and many of his former Ph.D. students are now faculty members at leading medical centers nationwide. Xu recently was selected by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) to receive the Edith H. Quimby Award for Lifetime Achievement in Medical Physics.