2016 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science presented to Robert S. Langer, Sc.D.

Although he trained as a chemical engineer, Langer shunned the traditional pathway of working within the petroleum industry. He wanted to work on problems that could directly affect the lives of a world-wide community. He chose an interdisciplinary approach, applying his engineering skills to problems within biomedical science. At the time, it was unheard of to have an engineer working in a medical research laboratory; he was a pioneer. He literally invented the fields of slow release drug delivery and tissue engineering. He also developed a new paradigm for developing academic ideas into useful products by establishing small biotech startup companies. He has set up more than 25 companies, has more than 1,200 patents (issued and pending), and is the most highly cited engineer in the world.