ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Younan Xia, Ph.D., an internationally recognized leader in the field of nanotechnology, recently joined the Georgia Institute of Technology as the first Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Nanomedicine.

Dr. Xia is the Brock Family Chair and GRA Eminent Scholar in Nanomedicine in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, with a joint appointment in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His research focuses on nanocrystals -- a novel class of materials with features smaller than 100 nanometers -- as well as the development of innovative technologies enabled by nanocrystals. One nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter. These technologies span the fields of molecular imaging, early cancer diagnosis, targeted drug delivery, biomaterials, regenerative medicine and catalysis.

“The possible applications of nanotechnology in medicine have only begun to be explored,” said Michael Cassidy, president and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance. “Dr. Xia’s expertise and collaborative vision will lead to vital new scientific discoveries that can be transformed into new tools to help people live healthier lives.”

Dr. Xia is an international leader in the synthesis of nanomaterials designed to improve the way we live. He has been ranked as one of the top 10 chemists in the world, as well as the second most cited scientist in the fields of nanomedicine and materials science.

“Dr. Xia is a world-renowned teacher and leader at the forefront of nanomedicine and materials science,” said Larry McIntire, the Wallace H. Coulter Chair of Biomedical Engineering. “His reputation and innovative research in these areas will clearly strengthen our expanding efforts in nanomedicine and biomaterials. We are honored to welcome him to the Department and to the Institute.”

Regents' Professor and Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry Charles Liotta said, “Dr. Xia is an outstanding addition to our faculty in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His research in nanomedicine and biomaterials lies at the interface between chemistry and engineering and fits in so well with the interdisciplinary culture at Georgia Tech. Dr. Xia’s presence will clearly enhance our efforts in these critical research areas.”

Dr. Xia received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Harvard University (with Professor George M. Whitesides) in 1996, his M.S. in inorganic chemistry from University of Pennsylvania (with the late Professor Alan G. MacDiarmid, a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2000) in 1993. He has received a number of prestigious awards, including AIMBE Fellow (2011), MRS Fellow (2009), NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2006), Leo Hendrik Baekeland Award (2005), Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar (2002), David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering (2000), Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (2000), NSF Early Career Development Award (2000) and the ACS Victor K. LaMer Award (1999).

About GRA

A model public-private partnership between Georgia universities, business and state government, the Georgia Research Alliance helps build Georgia’s technology-rich economy in three major ways: through attracting Eminent Scholars to Georgia’s research universities; through investing in sophisticated research tools; and through converting research into products, services and jobs that drive the economy. To learn more about GRA, visit http://www.gra.org.

About Georgia Tech

The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the world's premier research universities. Ranked seventh among U.S. News & World Report's top public universities, the Institute enrolls more than 20,000 students within its six colleges. Georgia Tech is the nation's leading producer of engineers as well as a leading producer of female and minority engineering Ph.D. graduates. Holding more than 780 patents and receiving approximately $570 million in sponsored awards, Georgia Tech ranks among the nation's top universities in research expenditures. Visit www.gatech.edu for more information.

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Georgia Research Alliance Names First Eminent Scholar in Nanomedicine