Brian Pfleger elected to The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has elected Karen and William Monfre Professor Brian Pfleger to its 2026 College of Fellows. 

Election to AIMBE honors individuals who have made outstanding or pioneering contributions to engineering and medicine research, practice, education and related fields and technologies. This election places Pfleger in the top two percent of engineers in these fields; to be part of this elite group, which includes Nobel Prize laureates and fellows of the National Academy of Engineering, researchers must demonstrate a commitment to embracing innovation in the service of improving the healthcare and safety of society. 

The institute acknowledged Pfleger for his pioneering contribution to the metabolic engineering of microorganisms for sustainable chemical production and outstanding leadership to the biotechnology community.

Pfleger’s research focuses on synthetic biology. Using a variety of tools and metabolic engineering techniques, he and his team pursue projects that include producing value-added fuels and platform chemicals from organisms like E. coli, yeast and cyanobacteria. They are also working on microbes than can enhance agricultural sustainability and remediate nutrient pollution, among other projects aimed at solving societal problems through synthetic biology.

Over his career, Pfleger has received many awards including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, DOE Early Career Award, Air Force Young Investigator Program Award, the Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation as well as many accolades from UW-Madison and the College of Engineering.

Pfleger was among 175 new AIMBE fellows inducted at a ceremony during the Institute’s annual meeting held in April, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia.