Fiorenzo Omenetto

Fiorenzo G. Omenetto is the Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering, and a Special Advisor to the Provost. He is a Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department and also holds appointments in the Department of Physics and the Department of Electrical Engineering. His research interests are in the convergence of technology, biologically inspired materials, and the natural sciences with an emphasis on new transformative approaches for sustainable materials for high-technology applications. He has proposed and pioneered the use of silk as a material platform for advanced technology with uses in photonics, optoelectronics, and nanotechnology applications, is co-inventor on several disclosures on the subject.

Omenetto’s research interests are in the convergence of technology, biologically inspired materials, and the natural sciences with an emphasis on new transformative approaches for sustainable materials for high-technology applications. He refers to, “Silk, the ancient material of the future.” Silk is biodegradable but as tough as technical materials like Kevlar. And Omenetto’s work involves using it to replace plastics in a wide range of applications. Learn more