IU names inaugural leader of research institute
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A biomedical researcher and entrepreneur whose innovations have helped improve treatment for people with musculoskeletal disorders has been named the first executive director of the Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute at Indiana University Indianapolis.
Chia-Ying “James” Lin also will serve as professor of biomedical engineering in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, according to an IU news release. Now a research professor at the University of Cincinnati, he will assume his new role with IU on Aug. 26.
“Indiana University’s commitment to the biosciences is driving innovative discoveries and life-changing health outcomes for Hoosiers across our state,” IU President Pamela Whitten said in the news release. “With James Lin leading the way, the Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute will expand IU’s role in central Indiana’s thriving biosciences community, accelerating the tremendous impact of IU’s transformative research.”
IU last fall announced the creation of the technology institute, part of a more than $250 million effort to bolster life-sciences research at the Bloomington campus and at Indiana University Indianapolis, the campus now affiliated with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis before that partnership dissolves later this year. The investment in Indianapolis also includes the creation of the Institute for Human Health and Wellbeing, which will focus on the research of chronic diseases.
The Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute aims to drive bioscience technology research in pursuit of discoveries such as wearable and implantable medical devices and sensors and AI-enabled drug discovery and delivery, the news release said. The institute will collaborate with researchers at the IU School of Medicine and with industry partners such as the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute and BioCrossroads.
“I look forward to working alongside faculty and university leaders to establish the institute as a vital component to increasing research creativity and productivity,” Lin said in the news release. “Our vision is to lead at the intersection of cutting-edge bioscience and technology, driving innovation that positively impacts our society.”
In Cincinnati, Lin focused on the development of new approaches to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, which have improved treatment for musculoskeletal disorders, the news release said.
As an entrepreneur, Lin has co-founded multiple startups, including one recently acquired by a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and a biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the development of injectables to treat injured and degenerative skeletal soft tissues.
Lin earned his doctorate and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan, where he began his academic career as assistant professor in neurosurgery and served as the founding director of the Spine Research Laboratory.