Michael Marks

I grew up in Texas and later North Carolina where I graduated with a B.S. in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University in 2005. I later moved back to Texas to attend UT Austin where I got my M.S.E. in chemical engineering in 2006 under Dr. Nicholas Peppas before coming up here to work with Professor Tony Lowman on my Ph.D. I was selected as a 2010-11 Recipient of the Department of Education GAANN Fellowship in Pharmaceuticals for the third year. There were many qualified individuals and I feel very fortunate they chose me. This fellowship provides full tuition and stipend and will allow me to continue my research in developing a better oral delivery device for administering proteins, such as insulin to diabetics. My research tries to break new ground with improved bioavailability through residence time in the GI tract. It also looks into new testing methods that will better simulate the natural interactions found in the intestine with the hopes of using these results to further our overall goals of improved administration and increased patient compliance with a decrease in injections. The skills that I have gained in my research as a direct result of this fellowship will aide me in my future endeavors when I begin working in an industrial setting.