Christina Bailey-Hytholt ’15, assistant professor of chemical engineering, has been named to the Leonard P. Kinnicutt Professorship for a three-year appointment. “Professor Bailey-Hytholt’s work exemplifies WPI’s approach to purpose-driven research that has a positive impact in people’s lives,” says John McNeill, Bernard M. Gordon Dean of Engineering. “Her contributions have been recognized with a wide range of external and internal awards, and I’m very pleased to see her join the line of outstanding faculty who have held the Kinnicutt Professorship.” Established by George C. Gordon to honor Leonard P. Kinnicutt, the Kinnicutt Professorship encourages the professional development of aspiring new faculty, with a preference for those who study chemistry. After graduating from WPI, Bailey-Hytholt earned her PhD in biomedical engineering at Brown University as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow and pursued postdoctoral research in genomic medicine and biologics drug product development at Sanofi. A member of the WPI faculty since 2022, Bailey-Hytholt focuses her research on addressing critical unmet needs for prenatal and women’s health using biomaterial and drug delivery approaches. She has received several honors and awards for her research, including being selected as one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Science, receiving the Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare in Massachusetts from the Women’s Edge, and being named one of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers 35 Under 35. Bailey-Hytholt recently received two awards from the NSF for her research group to study the placenta, a critical organ that develops during pregnancy. She was awarded $502,999 from the NSF’s Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology program for a three-year project that focuses on the relationship between placental cells known as trophoblasts and the structures they secrete, called exosomes, that are important for cell communication. Another $259,570 was awarded from the NSF’s Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) program for a two-year project that will engineer placental trophoblast models to help study preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related complication. As an educator, Bailey-Hytholt mentors graduate and undergraduate students in her research lab and within WPI’s project-based learning environment. A WPI graduate herself, Bailey-Hytholt is passionate about educating and training WPI students who are our future science and engineering workforce leaders. In addition to teaching core chemical engineering courses, Bailey-Hytholt has developed two special topics courses at WPI: one course on downstream processes in biomanufacturing and another on biomaterials for women’s health. Her goal is for students to be able to begin their next career step with a strong reference skill set and the ability to think both critically and creatively. “Professor Bailey-Hytholt is a rising star,” says Susan Roberts, professor and Chemical Engineering Department Head. “Her focus on women’s health is unique in the engineering community, and she is helping frame this important, emerging research field. Her emphasis on student learning in both the classroom and in research environments will provide enumerate opportunities for WPI undergraduate and graduate students to become leaders in the biotech and pharma industries.” The Kinnicutt Professorship dates to 1964, when WPI received a $5 million bequest from George C. Gordon, Class of 1895. Most of the funds were used to build WPI’s Gordon Library, but a portion also endowed this professorship. It’s named for Leonard P. Kinnicutt, the professor who Gordon credited with most influencing his life. A member of WPI’s civil engineering faculty from 1882 to 1911, Kinnicutt was the first WPI professor to hold a doctorate and the first Worcester native to join the faculty. An expert in sanitary chemistry, his research and consulting work was known worldwide. At WPI, Kinnicutt managed an unofficial financial aid program, helping many students with out-of-pocket loans. Gordon, who credited Kinnicutt with encouraging him to complete his WPI education, spent five years at Wyman-Gordon Co. in Worcester before joining the Park Drop Forge Co. in Cleveland, Ohio, where he eventually became chairman.