Alums Kristen Krupa-Comfort and Elizabeth Nance – Career News

Alumni Dr. Kristen Krupa-Comfort (Ph.D. ’07) and Dr. Elizabeth Nance (B.S. ’06) have had important advances in their careers:

Kristen has been selected as the Chair of the Department of Chemical, Materials, and Bioengineering at the University of Dayton. A graduate of Professor Jason Haugh’s research group, Kristen is also an associate professor, a Wilke Distinguished Professor and the Director of the UD Bioenginering Program.

According to the UD Facebook site, Kristen “is the School of Engineering’s first female department chair. Over the past few years, not only has she taught seven different courses at UD but she has also seen her work cited in 29 publications. Recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and Colgate Palmolive Grant for Alternative Research, Dr. Krupa-Comfort sets a fantastic example for her students.”

Elizabeth received a 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The PECASE Award is “the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers.” The awards are conferred annually at the White House following recommendations from participating agencies.

She is the Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Radiology in the School of Medicine at the University of Washington. She earned her Ph.D. degree at Johns Hopkins University.