Michelle R. Dawson was named as an affiliate assistant professor of engineering (courtesy) in the Brown School of Engineering. This comes after she joined the Brown faculty as an assistant professor of molecular pharmacology, physiology and biophysics last summer.
Dawson came to Brown from the Georgia Institute of Technology where she as an assistant professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. While at Georgia Tech, Dawson utilized her expertise in cell biophysics and cancer biology to establish a research lab focused on quantitative analysis of the molecular and mechanical profiles of cells in tumor and tissue microenvironments. Her long-term research goals include: (1) developing novel therapies for metastatic cancer, (2) improving stem cell homing to tissues, and (3) using mechanics to guide in the development of tissue substitutes. Dawson has received multiple awards for research and teaching, including the Georgia Cancer Coalition Breast Cancer Research Award, the Women in Engineering Teaching Excellence Award, and the Junior Faculty Undergraduate Research Mentor Award.
Prior to Georgia Tech, Dawson was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. She received her Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.