Matthew J. Webber, the Keating-Crawford Collegiate Professor of Engineering and associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Notre Dame, has been selected to serve as the acting director of the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health. An internationally recognized expert in supramolecular engineering, Webber also serves as a concurrent associate professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry.

Jeffrey F. Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, said “the Berthiaume Institute thrives by turning new discoveries into tangible solutions for improving health. With his faculty appointment in the College of Engineering and concurrent appointment in the College of Science, Matt is well positioned to foster a convergence between disciplines in a research area central to the University’s efforts in Health and Wellbeing.”

Webber’s expertise lies at the intersection of biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, and chemistry. Webber leads the Supramolecular Engineering Lab, where he works with colleagues, students, and postdoctoral scholars to design new materials and therapeutics at the molecular scale with the goal to improve human health.

He has pioneered the use of injectable gels and other related therapeutics that allow for precise, on-demand dosing. The story of his treatment for diabetes—which automatically senses and stops critical drops in blood glucose—has been featured in Notre Dame’s “What Would You Fight For?” series.

Webber said, “I would first like to thank Paul Bohn, the founding director of the Institute, for his visionary leadership in making Berthiaume a place where innovations lead directly to a more inclusive and effective approach to health and wellbeing. I look forward to leading the Berthiaume Institute and working alongside Paul in his role as director of the University's new Bioengineering & Life Sciences (BELS) Initiative.”

Webber added, “My research journey at Notre Dame has been enriched by my affiliation with the Berthiaume Institute—including by serving as a member of the steering committee and the theme leader for molecular recognition research. I am excited to continue the Institute’s record of distinction and its ethos as a place where disciplines connect, innovations happen, and the next generation receives world-class training and opportunities.”

Webber received his undergraduate degree from Notre Dame in Chemical Engineering and earned his doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. After training as a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he returned to Notre Dame in 2016.

Webber received a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation in 2020, and he became the first Notre Dame faculty member to be inducted as a fellow into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), among the highest professional distinctions for biomedical engineers.

Contact: Brett Beasley / Writer and Editorial Program Manager

Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame

bbeasle1@nd.edu / +1 574-631-8183

research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch

About the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health

The Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health at Notre Dame seeks to prevent and treat disease, promote wellness, and reduce health disparities by developing new tools to understand human variability at the molecular and cellular levels. Institute members conduct research into the molecular, cellular, and environmental factors underlying each person’s health, particularly those in underserved populations, and work to ensure new discoveries, data, and technologies benefit all populations.

About Notre Dame Research

The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or @UNDResearch.