About me
Jennifer L. West is the 14th dean of the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science. She has a formidable record of accomplishments spanning 30 years as a highly respected engineering leader, a transformational biomaterials and nanomedicine researcher, an award-winning teacher and mentor, and a forward-looking inventor and entrepreneur.
West has served as dean of UVA Engineering since 2021. She holds the Saunders Family Professorship and is a professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
As dean, West has built upon the school’s research trajectory, increased undergraduate research and experiential learning opportunities, and created a clearer pathway to entrepreneurship for faculty and students.
West’s research focuses on the use of biomaterials, nanotechnology, and tissue engineering. She is renowned for applying engineering approaches to solve unmet medical needs, particularly in the fight against cancer.
West is the author of more than 225 research publications, with her work cited over 60,000 times. In 2024 she published a ground-breaking study demonstrating the clinical success of a cancer therapy she invented.
West holds 20 patents that have been licensed to 10 companies, including Nanospectra Biosciences Inc., which she co-founded.
West is a member of the National Academies of Engineering, Medicine and Inventors.
In 2025, West received the prestigious Pierre Galletti award from the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), their highest honor, recognizing her career-long commitment to advancing the field through transformative research, service and advocacy.
Before joining UVA, West was the Fitzpatrick Family University Distinguished Professor of Engineering and associate dean for Ph.D. education at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering.
West earned a Bachelor of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctoral degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
