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Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, Ph.D. is Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Education at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Professor of Bioengineering. She oversees research activities, space allocation, and Ph.D. programs within the School of Medicine. Dr. Sakiyama-Elbert earned her S.B. in chemical engineering and biology from MIT and her M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Caltech. She began her academic career at Washington University in St. Louis in 2000, rising to Joseph and Florence Farrow Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Vice Dean for Research in the School of Engineering. From 2016 to 2022, she served as Department Chair and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.
Her research focuses on biomaterials for drug delivery and cell transplantation to treat peripheral nerve and spinal cord injuries. She is a Fellow of AIMBE, BMES, AAAS, and the International College of Fellows in Biomaterials Science and Engineering. Honors include the Society for Biomaterials Service Award (2025), TERMIS-AM Senior Scientist Award (2023), and the National Academy of Inventors Fellowship (2017). She served as President of the Society for Biomaterials (2020–2021) and is currently President of the Biomedical Engineering Society (2024–2026).