Jenny Munson

Jenny Munson is a Professor at Virginia Tech and serves as the Director of the Cancer Research Center - Roanoke at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. She is an expert in understanding how interstitial fluid flow affects tumor progression, treatment response, and diseases like Alzheimer’s. Her work bridges biomedical engineering and cancer biology, with special focus on glioblastoma, triple-negative breast cancer, and lymphatic system interactions.

• Education: Ph.D. in Bioengineering, Georgia Tech (2014)
• B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Neuroscience, Tulane University (2009)

Dr. Munson’s research explores the biophysical and biochemical dynamics of the tumor microenvironment, particularly how fluid transport influences cancer cell invasion and therapeutic efficacy. She develops 3D patient-derived tissue models to test hypotheses on drug delivery and identify new treatment targets. Her work has implications for brain cancer, aging, and women’s health, including lymphatic remodeling and immune system modulation.

Her recent publications focus on interstitial fluid flow in brain and breast tumors, 3D engineered models, lymph node-on-a-chip systems, and noninvasive imaging techniques. These studies often involve interdisciplinary collaborations and translational approaches to cancer research.

Scientific Awards:

• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2007)
• Fulbright Scholar (2009)
• Whitaker International Scholar (2011)
• Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award (2016)
• Young Innovator Award (2017)
• Dean’s Award Outstanding New Assistant Professor (2019)
• Leader in Research (2019)
• Dean’s Excellence Seminar Speaker (2019)

Dr. Munson leads the Munson Lab, a multidisciplinary team of engineers and biologists working on translational cancer research, fluid dynamics modeling, and biomedical imaging. She has received significant funding, including a $2.17 million grant for traumatic brain injury research and smaller awards for lymph node modeling and carcinoma studies.