Susan Trammell

Susan Trammell is a Professor of Physics and Optical Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte), where she has held her current rank since 2020. Previously, she served as Associate Professor (2004–2019), Undergraduate Coordinator (2003–2012), and Assistant/Visiting Assistant Professor from 1996. Her work spans astrophysics and biomedical engineering, with a focus on optical imaging, thermal systems, and biopreservation.

Education includes a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin (1994), an M.A. in Astronomy (1991), and a B.S. in Physics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1989). She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago’s Enrico Fermi Institute.

Trammell’s research emphasizes Light-Assisted Drying (LAD) for biologics stabilization, thermal imaging applications in surgery, and mid-IR imaging for medical diagnostics. Her biomedical innovations include techniques for preserving vaccines and biologics without refrigeration, highlighted by awards like the National Academy of Inventors Patent Award (2024) and ISBER’s Best Paper Award (2023).

Her recent courses include Stellar Astrophysics and Nuclear Physics, reflecting her dual expertise. Key honors include Bonnie Cone Fellowship (2007) and Oak Ridge Junior Faculty Award (1999). Trammell is a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors and affiliated with SPIE and the American Astronomical Society.