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Dr. Leon Iasemidis, the H.A. ‘Dusty’ Rhodes Eminent Scholar Chair in Biomedical Engineering at Louisiana Tech University, has been named a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) for “outstanding contributions to understanding the origin of and to developing methods for diagnosing, predicting and treating epileptic seizures.”

The AIMBE’s College of Fellows is comprised of 1,500 individuals who are the outstanding bioengineers in academia, industry and government. These leaders in the field have distinguished themselves through their contributions in research, industrial practice and/or education, and represent the top two percent of the medical and biological engineering community.

“Dr. Iasemidis is internationally recognized for his scientific research aimed at eliminating epileptic seizures,” said Dr. Eric Guilbeau, director of Louisiana Tech’s biomedical and chemical engineering programs.  “Less known is the fact that he is an outstanding educator who ranks among the most talented undergraduate biomedical engineering classroom instructors.

“I am delighted that he joined Louisiana Tech’s biomedical engineering faculty and the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Science.  The university is fortunate to have such a talented individual.”

Iasemidis joined the Louisiana Tech faculty in 2012 after several years at Arizona State University where he earned tenure as an associate professor of bioengineering.  While in Arizona, he was also an affiliate professor of electrical engineering and of neurosciences, and was an adjunct professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic Arizona in Phoenix, Ariz.  Iasemidis earned his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1991.

Dr. Hisham Hegab, interim dean of the College of Engineering and Science, says Iasemidis’ recognition is well deserved. “His elevation to Fellow status with the AIMBE acknowledges his significant research contributions,” said Hegab.  “Our College and students are fortunate to have internationally-recognized faculty like him.”

A recognized expert in nonlinear dynamics and epileptic research, Iasemidis offers an outstanding history of scholarship to students at Louisiana Tech. His research has stimulated an international interest in the prediction and control of epileptic seizures and an understanding of how epilepsy develops.  He is the co-author of ten patents and the co-founder of two companies that advance neuromodulation in the control of epilepsy.

Iasemidis’ research has been funded by a number of prestigious agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Epilepsy Foundation of America, the Science Foundation of Arizona and the Whitaker Foundation. This research has been featured in such publications as the New York Times and Discover Magazine, and in courses presented by The Teaching Company.

Iasemidis will be inducted into the AIMBE’s College of Fellows at a special induction ceremony on March 24 at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. Written by Catherine Fraser – cfraser@latech.edu