Shana Kelley Named Guggenheim Fellow

Northwestern Engineering’s Shana Kelley was one of three University faculty members recently named a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. 

Kelley is the Neena B. Schwartz Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering, with appointments in the McCormick School of Engineering and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.

An internationally renowned researcher, Kelley develops innovative and translational methods for tracking molecular and cellular analytes with unprecedented sensitivity. Her novel approaches integrate nanoscience with bioanalytical science and engineering. She also is well-known for developing new methods to detect circulating cancer cells and delivery systems that leverage mitochondrial penetrating peptides and related materials.

With the Guggenheim Fellowship, Kelley will develop a new class of sensors for the human body that will enable continuous monitoring of biochemical markers of health and disease. This type of sensing approach will provide new ways to prevent and manage disease.

“I am deeply grateful for this recognition that reflects the highly creative and hard work of my research team as well as the resources that will enable us to continue innovating and pursuing a positive impact on human health,” Kelley said.

This year, the Foundation awarded 180 artists, writers, scholars, and scientists from across the United States and Canada. Selected from a pool of nearly 2,500 applicants, the fellows were appointed on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise.

Northwestern faculty members Jeffrey Masten and Kimberly Yuracko were also honored.

Masten is a professor of english and gender and sexuality studies at Weinberg. Masten’s work focuses on book history, sexuality, and early modern English literature. Yuracko is the Judd and Mary Leighton Professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. She also holds a courtesy appointment in the department of political science at Weinberg.

“Now that the past two years are hopefully behind all of us, it is a special joy to celebrate the Guggenheim Foundation’s new class of Fellows,” said Edward Hirsch, president of the Guggenheim Foundation and 1985 fellow in poetry. “This year marks the Foundation’s 97th annual Fellowship competition. Our long experience tells us what an impact these annual grants will have to change people’s lives. The work supported by the Foundation will aid in our collective effort to better understand the new world we’re in, where we’ve come from, and where we’re going. It is an honor for the Foundation to help the Fellows carry out their visionary work.”