Peter Kofinas

Peter Kofinas serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Maryland, with affiliate appointments in Bioengineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and the Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices. Previously, he held roles as Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Graduate Programs in the A. James Clark School of Engineering and Associate Chair of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering.

His educational background includes B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After completing postdoctoral research at MIT, he joined the University of Maryland faculty in 1996.

Research Focus: Kofinas directs the Functional Macromolecular Laboratory, specializing in functional polymers for medical, energy, and electronics applications. His work spans polymer electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries, additive manufacturing of magnetodielectric nanocomposites, biodegradable surgical sealants for adhesion prevention and wound healing, and structural color biosensors for pathogen detection. Recent projects include sprayable surgical materials, hemorrhage control hydrogels, and point-of-care diagnostic devices.

His publications reveal a strong emphasis on energy storage materials (30% of recent work), surgical biomaterials (25%), and printable electronics (20%), with growing interest in point-of-care diagnostics and antimicrobial wound dressings.

• Senior Outstanding Research Award (2012)
• Two Outstanding Invention of the Year Awards (2007, 2001)
• National Science Foundation CAREER Award (1999)
• Engaged Faculty Award (2011)
• University of Maryland Keystone Professorship (2005–2012)

Kofinas has graduated 23 PhD students (3 now in faculty positions), 9 MS thesis students, and mentored over 100 undergraduates. His entrepreneurial activities include founding startup companies commercializing laboratory innovations. He directs the Functional Macromolecular Laboratory, which integrates polymer synthesis, nanomaterials engineering, and biomedical device development across multiple collaborative projects with clinical and industrial partners.