Princess Imoukhuede (pronounced I-muh-KWU-e-de) (born 1980) is an American

chemical engineer A chemical engineer is a professional equipped with the knowledge of chemistry and other basic sciences who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of Product (chemistry), products and deals with ...

who is a Professor in Bioengineering at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

as the Hunter and Dorthy Simpson Endowed Chair. She conducts groundbreaking research on angiogenic signaling and vascular biology. Her lab employs quantitative

systems biology Systems biology is the computational modeling, computational and mathematical analysis and modeling of complex biological systems. It is a biology-based interdisciplinary field of study that focuses on complex interactions within biological system ...

to understand and control signaling networks driving blood-vessel formation, with the aim of developing treatments for diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Imoukhuede's work has earned her numerous awards, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Biomedical Engineering Society Mid-Career Award, and the

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, or IMSA, is a three-year residential public secondary education institution in Aurora, Illinois, United States, with an enrollment of approximately 650 students. Enrollment is generally offered to in ...

Distinguished Leadership Award and the 2018 Nano Research Young Innovators Award in

Nanobiotechnology Nanobiotechnology, bionanotechnology, and nanobiology are terms that refer to the intersection of nanotechnology and biology. Given that the subject is one that has only emerged very recently, bionanotechnology and nanobiotechnology serve as blank ...

, recognizing her significant contributions to scholarship, education, and mentorship. Her first name is 'Princess' however, she holds no royal title or position in any capacity.

Early life and education

Imoukhuede grew up in

Matteson, Illinois Matteson () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,073 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Chicago. Matteson is located in Chicago Southland, Chicago's Southland area. The village is home to multiple wareho ...

. She was involved with

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

as a child, and competed in

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

from the age of eight. By the time she was in eighth grade she had become interested in science, and her parents gave her a chemistry set to play with at home. Imoukhuede attended the

. Imoukhuede was an undergraduate student in biomedical engineering at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT), where she performed undergraduate research under the supervision of Robert S. Langer on the incorporation of adenoviruses in a liposome-based gene therapy system. In her freshman year she was honoured at the

Eastern College Athletic Conference The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 15 sports (13 men's and 13 women's). It has 220 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from ...

, and was the first woman from MIT to qualify for the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

. Whilst at MIT, Imoukhuede took part in athletics, serving as captain of the varsity track and field team, and was named an NCAA All-American athlete. Imoukhuede was described by Roger Crosley, then MIT Director of Sport, as "the best weight thrower we ever had in track and field". After earning her bachelor's degree, Imoukhuede moved to the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

, where she worked with Henry A. Lester on the structure of the

GABA transporter GABA transporters (gamma-aminobutyric acid Neurotransmitter transporter, transporters) are a family of neurotransmitter / sodium Symporter, symporters, belonging to the Solute carrier family, solute carrier 6 (SLC6) family. They are found in various ...

and

Förster resonance energy transfer Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), fluorescence resonance energy transfer, resonance energy transfer (RET) or electronic energy transfer (EET) is a mechanism describing energy transfer between two light-sensitive molecules (chromophores). ...

. She was the first African American woman to receive a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in bioengineering from

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private university, private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small g ...

Research and career

Imoukhuede was a postdoctoral scholar at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

, where she specialised in biomedical engineering in the laboratory of Aleksander Popel. She was 1 of 10 postdoctoral fellows nationwide to earn the prestigious United Negro College Fund/Merk Postdoctoral Fellowship. During her fellowship, started working on the

vascular endothelial growth factor Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, ), originally known as vascular permeability factor (VPF), is a signal protein produced by many cells that stimulates the formation of blood vessels. To be specific, VEGF is a sub-family of growth factors ...

(VEGF) and its receptor (VEGFR) in ischemia and cancer. After completing her postdoctoral research, Imoukhuede joined the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

. Currently, Imoukhuede is a professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington as the Hunter and Dorthy Simpson Endowed Chair. Imoukhuede studies the mechanisms that regulate angiogenic signalling, including

tyrosine kinase receptor Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are the high-affinity cell surface receptors for many polypeptide growth factors, cytokines, and hormones. Of the 90 unique tyrosine kinase genes identified in the human genome, 58 encode receptor tyrosine kinase ...

VEGF receptor VEGF receptors (VEGFRs) are receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). There are three main subtypes of VEGFR, numbered 1, 2 and 3. Depending on alternative splicing, they may be membrane-bound (mbVEGFR) or soluble (sVEGFR). ...

s and

platelet-derived growth factor receptor Platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGF-R) are cell surface tyrosine kinase receptors for members of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) family. PDGF subunits -A and -B are important factors regulating cell proliferation, cellula ...

s. In 2019 Imoukhuede and Sarah K. England partnered to improve the efficacy and safety of

oxytocin Oxytocin is a peptide hormone and neuropeptide normally produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. Present in animals since early stages of evolution, in humans it plays roles in behavior that include Human bonding, ...

during labour. Imoukhuede is developing a computational model that could be used to predict the function of oxytocin receptor function. Her current focus is to unravel the complexities governing blood-vessel formation which gives the potential for treatment for several diseases such as

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

and some

cardiovascular diseases Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina, heart attack), heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheuma ...

. As of 2025, Imoukhuede has been deriving a computational model to find the optimal dosage for

, especially during pregnancy.

Awards and honours

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

Class of 1972 Award ** This award is given for a project that most improves quality of life for people or that benefits the environment. * 2008 Commitment to Diversity Award, Caltech * 2008 UNCF Merck Postdoctoral Research Fellowship * 2009 NIH Loan Repayment Awardee for Clinical Research * 2011 Gordon Conference Angiogenesis Poster Award * 2013-2015

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

, Illinois Division, Basic Research Grant * 2015 NIH-NIDDK, Basic Research Award * 2017 Rose Award for Teaching Excellence by University of Illinois College of Engineering * 2017 National Science Foundation CAREER Award * 2018

IMSA The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida, under the jurisdiction of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, ACCUS arm of the Féd ...

Distinguished Leadership Award Winner * 2018 Young Innovator in Nanobiotechnology * 2019

American Institute of Chemical Engineers The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was established in 1908 to distinguish chemical engineers as professionals independent of chemists and mechanical engineers. Curr ...

Futures Researcher * 2020 Cell Mentor named Imoukhuede as one of 1,000 "inspiring black scientists" * 2020 High Impact Innovation and Inspiration (HI3) Speaker Award ** Presented by the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

Graduate Women in Engineering Network * 2021 Biomedical Engineering Society Mid-Career Award ** This award recognizes members who demonstrate significant leadership in achievements in scholarship, education, and mentorship * Imoukhuede was recognized as an Excellent Instructor by the University of Illinois Center for Teaching Excellence

Selected publications

Her publications include: * ''Subcellular Trafficking, Pentameric Assembly, and Subunit Stoichiometry of Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Containing Fluorescently Labeled α6 and β3 Subunits'' * ''Quantification and cell-to-cell variation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors'' * ''Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of VEGF-neutralizing antibodies'' * ''Sex differences in cancer mechanisms''

Patents

* Morales, R., Sherin, R.S., Imoukhuede, P.I.U., Burke, D., Gomez, M., Ramirez, D.L., Castaneda, A. (2003). Construction set for building structures (A63H 033/08 ed, U.S. Patent 6,641,453). United States of America: Academy of Applied Science.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imoukhuede, Princess 1980 births Living people African-American chemists African-American women academics 21st-century American women academics 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics People from Matteson, Illinois Washington University in St. Louis faculty Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Johns Hopkins University fellows Chemists from Illinois 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American women scientists 21st-century American chemists 21st-century African-American scientists