Lydia Contreras

Lydia Contreras is the Paul D. and Betty Robertson Meek Centennial Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and Associate Dean of Postdoctoral Studies. She holds affiliations with the Molecular Biophysics Portfolio Program and the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology. Her expertise spans biomolecular engineering, RNA-protein interactions, and environmental health. Contreras earned a B.S.E. from Princeton University (2003), a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University (2008), and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Wadsworth Center and Vienna’s Max F. Perutz Laboratories.

Her research explores RNA and protein engineering to address health challenges, including diagnostics for RNA-related diseases and understanding environmental chemical impacts (e.g., formaldehyde exposure). She leads a lab with over 20 researchers and has pioneered studies on molecular recognition and extremophile adaptations. Awards include the American Academy of Microbiology Fellowship (2023), NSF CAREER Award, and multiple equity-in-engineering recognitions.

Contreras is a vocal advocate for diversity in STEM, contributing to initiatives like the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students and editorial roles at mSystems and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Her work bridges molecular biology, environmental science, and education to drive interdisciplinary innovation.