Kim “Avrama” Blackwell, professor of bioengineering at George Mason University, has accepted the position as the next DEO of the Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, effective August 16, 2023.

Avrama is a world leader in the computational modeling of calcium dynamics and signaling pathways underlying neuronal plasticity. Her research investigates the mechanisms whereby particular spatiotemporal patterns of inputs produce changes in synaptic plasticity and intrinsic excitability. As part of this research, she creates novel software, both using deterministic approaches and stochastic approaches, either stand-alone or working in conjunction with other neural modeling software, in order to address otherwise intractable problems.

Avrama holds a BS in biomedical engineering from Boston University as well as an MSE in systems engineering, a VMD in veterinary medicine, and a PhD in bioengineering, all from the University of Pennsylvania.