School of Engineering

Wolf von Maltzahn
Professor
Acting Vice President for Research

Department Affiliation:

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Education:

Ph.D., University of Hannover, Germany
Biomedical Engineering

M.S., The Ohio State University
Electrical engineering

Background:

As Acting VP for Research Wolf W. von Maltzahn advances the research enterprise at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and oversees all Institute-wide centers. He develops new strategies for achieving research leadership positions that align with Rensselaer’s primary research thrust areas of Energy and Environment, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Computational Science and Engineering, and Experimental Media and the Arts. He facilitates the development of individual and team proposals, streamlines administrative processes, and represents Rensselaer’s research interests to state, federal and corporate officials.

 

Von Maltzahn received his undergraduate education in electrical engineering at the University of Stuttgart (Germany) and his graduate education in electrical (biomedical) engineering at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. After completing his doctorate in biomedical engineering in 1979 at the University of Hannover, Germany, he became a faculty member in the biomedical engineering program at the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. His research focused on biomedical instrumentation, mathematical modeling, mechanical characterization of small arteries, and fabricating small vascular grafts. His research was funded by grants from NSF, NIH, AHA and some industry contracts. He authored or co-authored over 80 publications in journals, books and conference proceedings.

 

Before accepting his current position as Associate VP for Research at Rensselaer in 2002, von Maltzahn was Vice President for Biomedical Engineering at the Whitaker Foundation. During his seven years at the foundation, he directed the Young Investigator Program for biomedical engineering faculty and the Industrial Internship Program for biomedical engineering students, he organized the Whitaker Annual Conference, and participated in major university site visits.

 

Von Maltzahn is an elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), a senior member of Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE/EMBS), and a member of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE).