Mary L Kraft

Mary L. Kraft is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, holding the Chien Family Professorial Scholar title. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Micro and Nanotechnology Lab and on the Institutional Biosafety Committee and Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. Her research focuses on combining engineering principles with advanced imaging technologies like NanoSIMS and Raman spectroscopy to study cell composition and biological function, particularly in biomedical applications. Key areas include stem cell differentiation for tissue engineering, drug delivery, and influenza virus replication mechanisms.

Her work integrates computational statistics with chemical imaging for quantitative analysis at the single-cell level. Notable contributions include developing tools for non-invasive cell analysis and understanding lipid distributions in cellular membranes. She has received awards such as the AVS Prairie Chapter Early Career Research Award (2015) and the Walter A. Shaw Young Investigator Award (2014).

Recent research trends emphasize lipid dynamics, membrane organization, and viral interactions with cellular membranes. Her publications span high-impact journals like ACS Nano and Biointerphases, with a focus on advancing analytical techniques for biomedical insights. Her lab, part of the College of Engineering, collaborates internationally and contributes to both applied and fundamental research in nanotechnology and cell biology.