CRS honors Whitehead with Women in Science Award
Jun 22, 2026
Kathryn Whitehead, Carnegie Mellon University
The Controlled Release Society (CRS) has named Carnegie Mellon University's Chemical Engineering Professor Kathryn A. Whitehead the recipient of the 2026 Women in Science Award.
The award recognizes an internationally renowned woman scientist for outstanding contributions to delivery science and technology.
Whitehead, who also holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, develops drug delivery systems using RNA and lipid nanoparticles. She explores how mRNA can offer potential new treatment for diseases, and how nanotherapeutics can target cancer and other diseases.
Her groundbreaking research, which has been cited more than 15,000 times, has earned her spots on MIT Technology Review's "Innovators Under 35" list and Popular Science's the "Brilliant Ten".
Additional recognition for Whitehead's work includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director’s Fellowship, and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Curtis W. McGraw Research Award.
CRS will celebrate Whitehead and other award recipients at its 2026 Annual Meeting & Exposition in July.