Steven R. Little (born 1977) 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 ...

and pharmaceutical scientist. He currently holds the title of department chair, distinguished professor, and George M. and Eva M. Bevier Endowed Chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh

Swanson School of Engineering The Swanson School of Engineering is the engineering school of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846, the Swanson School of Engineering is the second or third oldest in the United States. History The Swan ...

. He also holds secondary appointments in bioengineering, pharmaceutical sciences, immunology, ophthalmology and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Education

Little received his BS in

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

from

Youngstown State University Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergrad ...

, and PhD from the

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 ...

, studying under Institute Professor Robert S. Langer. His dissertation was “''Poly(β-Amino Ester)s as pH Sensitive Biomaterials for Microparticulate Genetic Vaccine Delivery''.”

Research

Following his PhD in 2005, Little joined the faculty at 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 ...

John A. Swanson School of Engineering in 2006 as an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

. He was promoted to the rank of associate professor as well as chair of the department of chemical engineering in 2012; William Kepler Whiteford Endowed Professor in 2015; and distinguished professor by Chancellor Patrick Gallagher in 2021. In 2024 he was appointed the Swanson School's George M. and Eva M. Bevier Endowed Chair. His research focuses on therapies that are

biomimetic Biomimetics or biomimicry is the emulation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. The terms "biomimetics" and "biomimicry" are derived from (''bios''), life, and μίμησις ('' mīm ...

and replicate the biological function and interactions of living entities using synthetic systems. Areas of study include

bioengineering Biological engineering or bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, chemical engineering,

ophthalmology Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

, and

immunology Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of Immune system, immune systems in all Organism, organisms. Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the Physiology, physiological functioning of the immune system in ...

, and the health issues addressed include

autoimmune disease An autoimmune disease is a condition that results from an anomalous response of the adaptive immune system, wherein it mistakenly targets and attacks healthy, functioning parts of the body as if they were foreign organisms. It is estimated tha ...

, battlefield wounds,

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

Type I Diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic cells (beta cells). In healthy persons, beta cells produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone required ...

, ocular disease, and

organ transplantation Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be trans ...

. He is the Principal Investigator of Little Lab, housed in

Benedum Hall Michael L. Benedum Hall of Engineering is a landmark academic building on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The building was designed in the brutalist style by the architectural firm of Dee ...

of Engineering, and the co-founder of Qrono Inc., a pharmaceutical startup company based in Pittsburgh and focused on next generation cancer treatments.

Awards and honors

Little was elected as a Fellow of the

Biomedical Engineering Society BMES (the Biomedical Engineering Society) is the professional society for students, faculty, researchers and industry working in the broad area of biomedical engineering. BMES is the leading biomedical engineering society in the United States and w ...

in 2015; the

American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991, and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It represents 50,000 medical and Biomedical engineering, biomedical engineers, and academic i ...

in 2016; and the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

and

National Academy of Inventors The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging inventors in academia, following the model of the National Academies of the United States. It was founded at the University of South Florida in 201 ...

in 2021. The

(AAAS) elected him as Fellow in 2022, and Little was among eight members of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) selected for elevation to Fellow status in 2024. He was elected to the board of directors of the Society for Biomaterials and served in that role from 2013-2015. In June 2018 the Controlled Release Society appointed Little to its board as a director-at-large through 2021. In 2012, the Society for Biomaterials named Little as the recipient of its Young Investigator Award and in 2018 the Controlled Release Society named Little the recipient of its Young Investigator Award. The Controlled Release Society in 2020 elected Little to its College of Fellows and followed in 2021 by presenting Little with its Distinguished Service Award. Little has received over 40 national and international awards including: *

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

Career Development Award (2007) *

NIH The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

Research Career Development (K) Award (2007) *

Beckman Young Investigators Award The Beckman Young Investigators Award was established by Mabel and Arnold Beckman in 1991, and is now administered by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program is intended to provide research support to ...

from the Arnold & Mabel Beckman Foundation (2008) *Coulter Translational Research Award (2011) *Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation (2012) *University of Pittsburgh's Chancellor's Distinguished Research Award (2012) *

Research to Prevent Blindness Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) is a nonprofit organization created in 1960 by Jules Stein, the founder of Music Corporation of America, to stimulate research to eliminate blinding diseases. It supports eye research directed at the preventio ...

Innovative Ophthalmic Research Award (2014) *Carnegie Science Award for Advanced Materials (2015) *Curtis W. McGraw Research Award from the

American Society for Engineering Education American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

(2015) *Controlled Release Society Young Investigator Award (2018) *Pittsburgh Award, ACS Pittsburgh Section (2018) *Controlled Release Society College of Fellows (2020) *Controlled Release Society Distinguished Service Award (2021) His teaching awards include the University of Pittsburgh Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award and a Carnegie Science Award for Post-Secondary Education. Community recognition includes

Pittsburgh Magazine Pittsburgh Magazine is a lifestyle magazine covering the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It hosts an annual "40 Under 40" featuring prominent young Pittsburghers. It's known for listicles including Pittsburgh's 25 Best Restaurants, Best of the 'Bur ...

’s 40 Under 40, named a “Fast Tracker” by the

Pittsburgh Business Times American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...

, and one of five individuals in Pittsburgh who are “reshaping our world” by

Pop City Media ''Pop City'' was a weekly online magazine whose content focused on news and features about Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The content focused on talent, innovation, diversity, and environment. The magazine was published between 2006 and 2015. Histor ...

Humanitarian causes

Little serves on the board of directors for EduNations, an organization that establishes educational infrastructure by building schools, training teachers and providing children with free education in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

, Africa.

References

External links

Swanson School of Engineering profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Steven 1977 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Youngstown State University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni University of Pittsburgh faculty American chemical engineers Pharmaceutical scientists Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering