Advisor - leadership | Innovation

Prof. Dr. Gilda A. Barabino is Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and former President of Olin College of Engineering, where she served as the institution's second president from 2020–2025. A chemical engineer whose career spans biomedical engineering, medicine, global health, interdisciplinary education, and institutional leadership, she exemplifies convergence through the purposeful integration of disciplines and perspectives to advance human and social wellbeing.

An internationally recognized investigator in sickle cell disease and orthopedic tissue engineering, Dr. Barabino's pioneering research has informed technologies and therapeutic approaches while advancing engineering solutions to challenges in medicine. Prior to Olin, she served as Dean of The Grove School of Engineering at The City College of New York, where she established a Master's in Translational Medicine integrating engineering, medical innovation, and entrepreneurship. She previously held academic and leadership appointments at Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, and Northeastern University.

Dr. Barabino has served as President and Chair of the Board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and as President of both the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Her leadership has consistently advanced interdisciplinary science, engineering education, institutional transformation, and cultures of belonging.

She is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of AAAS, AIChE, AIMBE, and BMES. Dr. Barabino earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Rice University. 

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