Susan Margulies

Susan S. Margulies is Professor Emeritus of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science. She received a B.S.E. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University in 1982, graduating summa cum laude, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1987, with a doctoral thesis on the biomechanics of traumatic coma in the primate. She completed postdoctoral training at the Mayo Clinic before joining the University of Pennsylvania faculty in 1993 as an assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering. She was granted tenure in 1998, promoted to professor in 2004, and held joint appointments as professor of bioengineering and neurosurgery. During her tenure, she served as the George H. Stephenson Professor and contributed to departmental leadership.

Margulies is internationally recognized for her pioneering research on the biomechanics of head injury, particularly traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents, and lung injuries associated with mechanical ventilation. Her transdisciplinary studies, conducted across micro- to macro-scales and species, have identified fundamental injury mechanisms, informing prevention strategies, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic interventions. She has directed research programs securing over $35 million in funding, including a $6.7 million NIH/NINDS grant for preclinical trials of Cyclosporin A in pediatric traumatic brain injury models. Margulies has authored over 350 peer-reviewed scientific articles and 11 book chapters, with key publications including "Physical model simulations of brain injury in the primate" (Journal of Biomechanics, 1990), "An analytical model of traumatic diffuse brain injury" (Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 1989), and "A proposed tolerance criterion for diffuse axonal injury in man" (Journal of Biomechanics, 1992). She mentored 50 graduate and postdoctoral trainees. Her contributions have earned numerous accolades, such as the Whitaker Foundation Young Investigator Award (1992), NSF CAREER Award (1997), S. Reid Warren Jr. Award for Distinguished Teaching (1996), fellowships from the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2006), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2009), and Biomedical Engineering Society (2009), and election to the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine (both 2020).

Professional Email: margulies@seas.upenn.edu