Rate My Professor Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz

Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Oregon State University. She earned a B.A. in Psychology in 1999 and a B.A. in Chemistry in 2001 from Hunter College of the City University of New York, followed by a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University in 2005. She completed postdoctoral research at Portland State University before joining Oregon State University.

Her research centers on the design and engineering of nanomaterials for nanomedicine applications, with a focus on creating safe, clinically translatable nanomaterials and developing a systems-level understanding of nanoparticle-biological interactions and toxicity. The Mackiewicz Lab emphasizes bioinspired chemistry to produce tunable libraries of nanomaterials, including silver and gold nanoparticles with controlled shapes and surface coatings, to study their interactions with biological systems and environmental impacts. Mackiewicz has received multiple honors, including the College of Science Dean’s Early Career Achievement Award in 2024, the Loyd F. Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Teaching in Science for Graduate Students in 2023, the Milton Harris Teaching Award in 2022, the OSU College of Science Inclusive Excellence Award in 2022, the American Chemical Society Stanley Israel Award in 2020, and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award. She has authored or co-authored numerous publications on topics such as photoinduced shape transformations of silver nanoparticles, size- and shape-dependent interactions of lipid-coated nanoparticles, and integrating professional development in research environments. Her work has been presented at national and regional American Chemical Society meetings, and she contributes to mentoring and inclusive excellence initiatives in STEM.