Faculty Directory

Kofinas, Peter

Kofinas, Peter

Patrick and Marguerite Sung Professor and Chair
Fischell Fellow
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Maryland Energy Innovation Institute
Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
2113D Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building

Academic Appointments at the University of Maryland

  • Professor Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 7/2017 – present
  • Affiliate Appointments: Bioengineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Fischell Institue of Medical Devices
  • Professor Fischell Department of Bioengineering 7/2006 – 6/2017
  • Associate Professor Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 7/2002 - 6/2006
  • Associate Professor Materials Science and Engineering 7/2001 - 6/2002
  • Assistant Professor Materials Science and Engineering 8/1996 - 6/2001
Administrative Appointments at the University of Maryland
  • Chair Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 7/2017 - present
  • Associate Dean A James Clark School of Engineering 9/2012 – 9/2017
  • Associate Chair Fischell Department of Bioengineering 7/2006 - 8/2012
  • Director of Graduate Studies Fischell Department of Bioengineering 7/2006 - 8/2012
Other Employment
  • M.I.T., Cambridge, MA Post-Doc. Chemical Engineering 7/94 - 6/1996
Educational Background

Massachusetts Institute of Technology  (M.I.T.)     Cambridge, MA 

  • Ph.D.  Materials Science & Engineering  (Program in Polymer Science & Technology) 1994
  • M.S.  Chemical Engineering Practice 1989 
  • B.S.  Chemical Engineering 1989

Research Fellowships, Prizes and Awards

  • Senior Outstanding Research Award 2012, A. James Clark School of Engineering, U. of Maryland
  • Outstanding Invention of 2007, Office of Technology Commercialization, U. of Maryland
  • Outstanding Invention of 2001, Office of Technology Commercialization, U. of Maryland
  • CAREER Award, National Science Foundation, 1999
Teaching Awards
  • Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars Program Mentor 2014-2015, Office of Undergraduate Studies, U. of Maryland
  • Engaged Faculty Award 2011, A. James Clark School of Engineering, U. of Maryland
  • University of Maryland “Keystone Professor”: The Clark School Academy of Distinguished Professors, 2005 –2012
  • A. James Clark School of Engineering, U. of Maryland, Junior Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award, 1999
Service Awards and Honors
  • Faculty Outstanding Service Award 2013, A. James Clark School of Engineering, U. of Maryland
Recent Synergistic Activities
  • Have mentored over 80 undergraduates in research
  • Have graduated 21 PhD students, 3 of my students have faculty positions
  • Symposium Organizer: E-MRS, Strasbourg France (5/2017), “Design and hierarchical assemblies of nanomaterials”
  • GEM Fellowship Representative U. of Maryland – STEM recruiting of Underrepresented Minority Students 2013-2017

 

CHBE457 Design and Processing of Polymers for Biomedical Devices

CHBE 301 Chemica & Biomolecular Engineering Thermodynamics I

Chemical Engineers Develop Treatments for Common Post-Operative Abdominal Complication

Researchers study sprayable polymers as a new platform to prevent abdominal adhesions.

Sprayable Hydrogel Shows Promise for Overcoming Drug Delivery Challenges

UMD Researchers Featured Front Cover on Biomaterials Science for Advances in Drug Delivery

Chemical Engineer’s NSF CAREER Award To Address Women’s Health Disparities

Hannah Zierden receives NSF CAREER Award to study innovative therapies for women's health applications.

Maryland Engineers Selected for NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Clark School students and alums are awarded with prestigious NSF fellowship for research-based graduate studies.

FSU undergraduates visit the University of Maryland, learn about engineering graduate programs

Undergraduate students from Florida State University visited the University of Maryland on Monday, March 10, 2025, to explore graduate programs in the A. James Clark School of Engineering.

Fischell Institute Black History Month Spotlight: Sofia Jackson

Jackson first learned about Kofinas’ research after hearing a presentation about his work on batteries and sprayable polymers for surgical applications during the Women in Engineering (WIE) RISE Summer Research Program in 2022.

FDA Awards $350K To Researchers Advancing Female Reproductive Care

Two chemical engineers to study safety and biocompatibility of sprayable polymers to reduce intrauterine adhesions.

Fischell Institute Spotlight: Peter Kofinas

Kofinas’s areas of expertise are in biomaterials, biosensors, polymers, batteries, and biomedical devices for the treatment of adhesions in surgery.

Standing with our Asian-American Community

The Clark School community stands united with our Asian, Asian-American and Pacific Islanders colleagues.

UMD and FDA Researchers Collaborate to Bolster Battery Safety for Medical Devices

Team will advance regulatory science research and understanding of polymeric battery chemistry.

Holding ESTEEM in High Regard

Peter Kofinas and Jesse Matthews team up to mentor high school students in a program hosted by the UMD Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering.  

In Race With Virus, Researchers Speed Development of Medical Equipment

Bioengineers, Terrapin Works producing new respirator and ventilator designs.

Engineers Create Solutions for a Crisis

Labs Pivot to Produce, Distribute Hand Sanitizer, Surgical Masks

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