David Edwards (ArtScientist)
Encyclopedia
David A. Edwards is Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Engineering
at Harvard University
, a writer of fiction and non-fiction
, and the founder of Le Laboratoire, an experimental art and design center where artists and scientists collaborate in central Paris
.
platforms for treating infectious disease
s in the developing world. He has published many scientific papers
and two textbooks in the areas of applied mathematics
and advanced transport analysis. He is a founder of Advanced Inhalation Research, or AIR, now part of Alkermes, Inc., of Pulmatrix, and of Medicine in Need, an international non-governmental organization
aimed at developing new drugs and vaccines for diseases of poverty
, such as tuberculosis.
) describes the nature of the creativity catalyst at the frontier of what is conventionally viewed as art and science, the artscience innovation. His novel Niche (Editions Le Laboratoire and École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
, 2007), on which he has collaborated with the American novelist Jay Cantor and the photographer Daniel Faust, explores the conceptual bases of Le Laboratoire's creation.
at Michigan Technological University
as an undergraduate, receiving a B.S. in 1983, and going on to a Ph.D. in 1987 in the same subject from the Illinois Institute of Technology
. After a brief postdoctorate and lecturership at the Technion in Israel
, he taught for four years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and for three more at Pennsylvania State University
before leaving academia in 1998 to found Advanced Inhalation Research. In 2002, he was hired as the McKay Professor of the Practice at Harvard.
in 2001. He has also been honored three times by the American Pharmaceutical Association with their Ebert Prize, and has won the Jerusalem Fund's Theodor Herzl Award, the European Aerosol Association's Smoluchowski Award, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
' Professional Progress Award. In 2007, he was awarded the Melvin Calvin Medal of Distinction by his alma mater Michigan Tech, its highest honor.
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, a writer of fiction and non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
, and the founder of Le Laboratoire, an experimental art and design center where artists and scientists collaborate in central Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Research and entrepreneurship
Edwards' scientific work concerns the research and development of advanced new drug deliveryDrug delivery
Drug delivery is the method or process of administering a pharmaceutical compound to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. Drug delivery technologies modify drug release profile, absorption, distribution and elimination for the benefit of improving product efficacy and safety, as well...
platforms for treating infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
s in the developing world. He has published many scientific papers
Academic publishing
Academic publishing describes the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in journal article, book or thesis form. The part of academic written output that is not formally published but merely printed up or posted is often called...
and two textbooks in the areas of applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
and advanced transport analysis. He is a founder of Advanced Inhalation Research, or AIR, now part of Alkermes, Inc., of Pulmatrix, and of Medicine in Need, an international non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
aimed at developing new drugs and vaccines for diseases of poverty
Diseases of poverty
Diseases of poverty is a term sometimes used to collectively describe diseases and health conditions that are more prevalent among the poor than among wealthier people. In many cases poverty is considered the leading risk factor or determinant for such diseases, and in some cases the diseases...
, such as tuberculosis.
Art and fiction
Edwards' artistic work includes two founding books of Le Laboratoire. His essay Artscience: Creativity in the Post-Google Generation (2008, Harvard University PressHarvard University Press
Harvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
) describes the nature of the creativity catalyst at the frontier of what is conventionally viewed as art and science, the artscience innovation. His novel Niche (Editions Le Laboratoire and École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
, 2007), on which he has collaborated with the American novelist Jay Cantor and the photographer Daniel Faust, explores the conceptual bases of Le Laboratoire's creation.
Academic biography
Edwards studied chemical engineeringChemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
at Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
as an undergraduate, receiving a B.S. in 1983, and going on to a Ph.D. in 1987 in the same subject from the Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
. After a brief postdoctorate and lecturership at the Technion in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, he taught for four years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and for three more at Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
before leaving academia in 1998 to found Advanced Inhalation Research. In 2002, he was hired as the McKay Professor of the Practice at Harvard.
Awards and honors
Edwards was elected to the National Academy of EngineeringNational Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
in 2001. He has also been honored three times by the American Pharmaceutical Association with their Ebert Prize, and has won the Jerusalem Fund's Theodor Herzl Award, the European Aerosol Association's Smoluchowski Award, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers is a professional organization for chemical engineers.AIChE was established in 1908 with the purpose of establishing chemical engineers as a profession independent from chemists and mechanical engineers.As of 2010, AIChE had over 40,000 members,...
' Professional Progress Award. In 2007, he was awarded the Melvin Calvin Medal of Distinction by his alma mater Michigan Tech, its highest honor.