
Lorna J. Gibson
· ProfessorMassachusetts Institute of Technology · Materials Science & Engineering
Active 1986–2024
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About
Lorna J. Gibson is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT and a MacVicar Faculty Fellow. She specializes in studying the mechanical behavior of materials with a cellular structure, including engineering honeycombs, foams, scaffolds for regenerative engineering, and natural materials such as wood, bamboo, and plant leaves and stems. Her research has contributed to understanding the mechanics of cellular solids and their applications in various fields. Gibson has co-authored several books on cellular materials and has led projects involving the design and characterization of osteochondral scaffolds for cartilage and bone regeneration, fluid flow mechanics in open-cell foams, low thermal conductivity aerogels, and structural bamboo products. She earned her BAS in civil engineering from the University of Toronto in 1978 and her PhD in materials engineering from the University of Cambridge in 1981, focusing on the elastic and plastic behavior of cellular materials. Her career includes work as a senior engineer in the Arctic, academic positions at the University of British Columbia, and a long-standing appointment at MIT, where she joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in 1996. Gibson has also co-founded a medical technology company, OrthoMimetics, and has served in leadership roles at MIT, including chair of the faculty and associate provost.
Research topics
- Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Political Science
- Public relations
- Chemical engineering
- Business
- Economics
- Materials science
- Composite material
- Economic growth
Selected publications
Hierarchically Porous Ceramics via Direct Writing of Binary Colloidal Gel Foams
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces · 2021 · 58 citations
and compressive strengths that decreased from 40 to 1 MPa, respectively, with increasing specific interfacial area. Using direct foam writing, 3D ceramic lattices composed of open-cell foam struts were fabricated with tailored mechanical properties and interconnected porosity across multiple length scales.
Journal of Affective Disorders · 2024-06-21 · 8 citations
reviewOpen accessMethods · 2021-11-12 · 6 citations
reviewOpen access2023-03-31
supplementary-materialsOpen access<p>PDF file - 137K</p>
2023-03-31
preprintOpen access<div>Abstract<p><b>Background:</b> The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 5p12-rs10941679 has been found to be associated with risk of breast cancer, particularly estrogen receptor (ER)-positive disease. We aimed to further explore this association overall, and by tumor histopathology, in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium.</p><p><b>Methods:</b> Data were combined from 37 studies, including 40,972 invasive cases, 1,398 cases of ductal carci…
Recent grants
Biomimicking of Natural Tubular Structures
NSF · $290k · 2004–2008
G8 Initiative: Structural Bamboo Products
NSF · $447k · 2012–2017
NIH · $474k · 2001
Frequent coauthors
- 268 shared
Olivia Fletcher
- 249 shared
Isabel dos‐Santos‐Silva
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
- 247 shared
Nichola Johnson
Institute of Cancer Research
- 229 shared
Julian Peto
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
- 225 shared
Elinor J. Sawyer
- 223 shared
Ian Tomlinson
- 215 shared
Alan Ashworth
- 214 shared
Michael J. Kerin
University Hospital Galway
Education
- 1990
Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 1985
M.S., Materials Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 1983
B.S., Materials Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Awards & honors
- 2017 Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching, MIT
- 2015 Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow, MIT
- 2013 Ruth and Joel Spira Award for Excellence in Teaching, M…
- 2001 Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
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