Dr. Patricia Ortiz-Bermúdez, Ph.D.

Professor

Chemical Engineering

Dr. Ortiz-Bermúdez obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree (2005) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) and a Bachelor of Science degree (1999) from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM). She also completed postdoctoral training in Biomolecular Chemistry (2007) at the UWM. She is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering; an Adjunct Professor in the Food Science and Technology program at the UPRM, and holds an honorary professor appointment in the Chemical and Biological Engineering program and UWM. In 2009 she began leading work through an NSF award in collaboration with UWM, which focused on the study of novel protein-inspired materials with intrinsic antimicrobial properties. She also has received funding from USDA for nanotechnology-related research and K-12 outreach activities in collaboration with the College of Agricultural Sciences at the UPRM. She is currently Coordinator of the Industrial Biotechnology Program as a Chemical Engineering liaison. Her research experience includes peer-reviewed articles in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and Applied and Environmental Microbiology in the areas of microbial technology and biomaterials. Dr. Ortiz-Bermúdez is very active in mentoring undergraduates in research, having advised over 50 undergraduate students. These students are typically from undergraduate programs in Chemical Engineering, Industrial Biotechnology, and Biology. She is currently an active member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Society for Microbiology.