University of Michigan awards endowed professorship to Weil Institute Associate Director
Dr. Xudong (Sherman) Fan will be named the Richard A. Auhll Professor of Engineering.
Contact:
Kate Murphy, Marketing Communications Specialist, Weil Institute
mukately@med.umich.edu
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ANN ARBOR – Weil Institute Associate Director Dr. Xudong (Sherman) Fan has been appointed the University of Michigan Richard A. Auhll Endowed Professor of Engineering. The role will be made official during a recognition ceremony held by the College of Engineering (COE) on January 27, where Dr. Fan will present a lecture titled “Breath and body odor analysis for precision healthcare: from benchtop to wearable.”
Before joining the University of Michigan Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2010, Dr. Fan served as a project leader at 3M and an Assistant Professor of Biological Engineering at the University of Missouri. He was promoted to full Professor of Biomedical Engineering at U-M in 2014.
Dr. Fan’s research focuses on using micro/nano photonic and electronic devices for the detection of biological and chemical markers that indicate the occurrence of various diseases. Through collaborations with Weil Institute and COE teams, he has developed multiple devices including a portable gas analyzer that uses exhaled breath to detect and monitor lung diseases and injuries, as well as a wearable sensor array that can potentially detect over 20 acute and chronic conditions through body odor.
Dr. Fan’s research has received significant support through the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Department of Defense and has led to several patents and start-up companies. Altogether, projects led by Dr. Fan have brought in over $8M in funding to the Weil Institute since 2014.
“I’m honored and deeply grateful,” said Fan on his new appointment. “This recognition means more opportunities for us to explore and invent new technologies to better serve society.
Appointment to an endowed professorship at the COE is reserved for a scholar of national and often international stature who has earned a highly distinguished record of teaching, research and publishing.These professorships, funded and named by donors, bring prestige and recognition to leading members of COE faculty and reward their contributions to the institution and to the field.
The endowed professorship Dr. Fan will be appointed to was established by Richard A. Auhll, former CEO, Chairman and founder of medical device manufacturer Circon. Auhll now serves on the Industrial Advisory Committee for the University of Michigan Department of Aerospace Engineering, of which he is also a graduate.