Faculty Directory

Duncan, Gregg

Duncan, Gregg

Associate Professor
Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
4116 A. James Clark Hall
Website(s):

Education

  • B.S. Chemical Engineering, Florida State University
  • Ph.D. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

Professional Memberships

  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers
  • Biomedical Engineering Society
  • Controlled Release Society
  • International Society for Aerosols in Medicine
  • Society for Biomaterials

Selected Honors and Awards

  • 2025: Institute for Engineering-Driven Health Visiting Professorhip, University of Delaware
  • 2024: UMD Graduate School Faculty Mentor of the Year Award
  • 2024: Clark School of Engineering E. Robert Kent Outstanding Teaching Award
  • 2022: Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering journal Young Innovator Award
  • 2021: BMES Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award
  • 2021: BIOE Faculty Teaching Award
  • 2021: NSF CAREER Award
  • 2020: BMES-CMBE Rising Star Award
  • 2019: Langmuir Early Career Advisory Board Member
  • 2018: Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award
  • 2017: Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface

Complex biological fluids & interfaces, nanoparticle drug delivery, viral gene delivery, respiratory infection, lung diseases


Our research is focused on using nanotechnology and bioengineering as tools to broaden understanding of the lung airway microenvironment in order to develop state-of-the-art therapeutic approaches. These efforts are built on our group’s expertise in designing novel measurement schemes and bioengineered models, capable of shedding new light on previously unstudied aspects of the lung airways. The nature of this work requires an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach where we work closely with basic and clinical scientists in order to successfully work towards our research goals. Specific areas of interest in our laboratory include:

  • Lung airway mucus clearance in health & disease
  • Host-pathogen interactions in respiratory infections (e.g. influenza)
  • Engineering mucin biomaterials for biology & medicine
  • Overcoming biological barriers to drug & gene delivery

BIOE331 - Biofluids

BIOE489K - Pulmonary Engineering

BIOE689R - Biopolymers

Recent articles:

  • Yeruva T, Morris III RJ, Kumar S, Zhao L, Kofinas P, Duncan GA. “Rapid in situ forming PEG hydrogels for mucosal drug delivery”. Biomaterials Science. 13, 4390-4399​, 2025. 
  • Cahn D, Stern A,  Buckenmeyer MJ, Wolf M, Duncan GA. “The Extracellular Matrix Limits Nanoparticle Diffusion and Cellular Uptake in a Tissue-Specific Manner”. ACS Nano. 18 (46), 32045-55, 2024.
  • Boboltz A, Yang S, Duncan GA. “Engineering in vitro models of cystic fibrosis lung disease using neutrophil extracellular trap inspired biomaterials”. Journal of Materials Chemistry B. 11, 9419-9430, 2023.
  • Song D, Iverson E, Kaler L, Boboltz A, Scull MA, Duncan GA. “MUC5B mobilizes and MUC5AC spatially aligns mucociliary transport on human airway epithelium”. Science Advances​. 8, eabq504, 2022.

Full listing of publications available on Google Scholar.

Sprayable Hydrogel Shows Promise for Overcoming Drug Delivery Challenges

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

Fischell Institute Hosts Annual Take Your Child to Work Day

The program was designed by Ambi Narula, the Fischell Institute’s communications and program specialist, to spark curiosity and inspire the next generation of engineers.

Fischell Institute Participates in Maryland Day 2025

The institute was represented by Fischell Institute Fellow Chris Jewell’s research lab, Fischell Institute Fellow Reza Ghodssi’s MEMS Sensors and Actuators Lab (MSAL), Fischell Fellow Catherine K. Kuo’s research lab, Affiliate Fellow Gregg Duncan’s Respiratory NanoBioengineering (RnB) lab, Affiliate Fellow Elisabeth Smela’s Laboratory for MicroTechnologies, Fischell Fellow Alisa Clyne’s Vascular Kinetics Lab, Affiliate Fellow Eleonora Tubaldi’s research lab, Affiliate Fellow Yancy Diaz-Mercado’s Collaborative Controls and Robotics Lab (CCRL), and Affiliate Fellow Don Milton’s Public Health AeroBiology Laboratory (PHAB Lab).

Fischell Institute community members judge College Park Academy’s 2025 Science Fair

All 390 CPA students completed a science project, while more than 30 were selected from their cohorts to present at the main science fair event.

Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices invests $200K in the future of biomedical devices, cultivating up-and-coming investigators and immersing them in successful multidisciplinary teams

Designed to bolster young, postdoctoral researchers by pairing them with existing, proven research teams, the fellowship aims to propel the careers of awardees, enabling them to apply for additional grants or faculty positions in the future.

Duncan and Kuo Receive Clark School Teaching Awards

Two bioengineering faculty members are recognized for their outstanding and impactful teaching practices.

Jenna Mueller Receives NSF CAREER Award

The award will support Mueller’s research to develop affordable, accessible technologies for cervical dysplasia in low-income communities around the world.

Fischell Institute Participates in Maryland Day

Maryland Day is the University of Maryland's largest annual community outreach event. 

Fischell Institute Attends 2023 BMES Annual Meeting

The conference was held in Seattle, Washington

Fischell Institute Spotlight: Gregg Duncan

Gregg Duncan is a Fischell Institute Affiliate Fellow and Associate Professor of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE). His expertise is in pulmonary bioengineering, infectious disease, biomaterials, and drug and gene delivery. 

Maryland Engineers Awarded Grants to Address Humanity's Grand Challenges

Twelve projects led by or involving Maryland Engineering faculty have been awarded funding through the Grand Challenges Grants Program, the largest and most comprehensive program of its kind ever introduced at the University of Maryland.

Clearing the Airways

UMD Bioengineers’ Discoveries Could Point to Precision Therapies for Asthma, Pulmonary Diseases

UMD Bioengineering #1 in CMBE Young Innovator Awards

BIOE's Gregg Duncan & Katharina Maisel were named 2022 Cellular & Molecular Bioengineering Young Innovators. 

Duncan Earns NSF Career Award to Advance Gene Therapy

BIOE assistant professor Gregg Duncan was named the recipiento of the NSF's prestigious CAREER Award.

Student Researchers Recognized with Wylie Dissertation Fellowships

Fourteen Clark School students pursuing their Ph.D.s in engineering have been awarded Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowships by the University of Maryland Graduate School.

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