The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Jeremiah Zartman, a junior faculty member in the College of Engineering, with the Early Career Development Award (CAREER). Honoring outstanding research and the integration of education and research within their individual organizations, the CAREER Award is the most prestigious award given by the U.S. government to young faculty in engineering and science.

A faculty member since 2012, Zartman serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. He received the CAREER award for his project, “Integrative Analysis for Reverse Engineering Embryonic Pattern Repair Mechanisms.” To date, Zartman’s research has focused on the cell-to-cell communication that governs organization, growth, and tissue development. This project seeks to identify and better understand cellular communication within embryos. Embryos are able to correct for early mistakes during tissue formation and often repair pattern defects and this reprogramming of early cells may hold the key to the development of novel diagnostics of diseases whereby cellular imperfections could be identified at a much earlier stage. The research will focus on fruit fly embryos, which are organisms where such repair mechanisms can be efficiently studied. Lessons learned from this research may also provide clues for tissue engineering technologies. In addition to research, educational activities included in this project encompass STEM-related [bioengineering] programs for high school students.