Umesh Mishra, dean of The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering at UCSB, has appointed Michelle O’Malley, a professor of chemical engineering and bioengineering, the interim chair of the Bioengineering Department (BioE), effective July 1. 

O’Malley, the Cliff R. Scholle Chair in Chemical Engineering, has been part of the UCSB faculty since 2013. With a joint appointment to BioE, she has also played an integral role in UCSB Bioengineering, serving a term as vice chair. Her pioneering work has resulted in numerous prestigious awards, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the Department of Energy’s Early Career Award, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Allan P. Colburn Award for Excellence in Publications by a Young Member of the Institute. An elected fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), O’Malley also serves as director of the National Science Foundation BioFoundry for Extreme and Exceptional Bacteria, Archaea, and Fungi (ExFAB), a first-of-its kind center created through a six-year, $22-million grant to enable the discovery and engineering of extreme microbes to enable the next generation of synthetic biology. 

O’Malley replaces Beth Pruitt, who has served as the founding chair of BioE since it was officially elevated to department status last spring. However, it is important to highlight that her commitment to UCSB Bioengineering dates back to her arrival from Stanford University in 2018. Pruitt helped lay the foundation to launch the Biological Engineering PhD Program in fall 2022, securing critical federal training grants to support the curriculum. The inaugural recipient of a Mehrabian Chancellor's Chair, Pruitt is an elected Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), AIMBE, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). She is also a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). 

In a memo announcing the appointment to college faculty and staff, Dean Mishra thanked Pruitt for her dedication, her commitment, and her service to the department, the college, the students, and the university. He also expressed appreciation for O’Malley’s willingness to help ensure a smooth transition while the college’s search for a permanent department chair continues.