Biography

Vuk Uskoković

Vuk Uskoković, PhD, MSc, MS, BSc, is a Serbian-Slovenian-American scientist, educator and multimedia artist, currently the Cofounder and Chief Scientific Officer at TardigradeNano LLC, a biotech startup, think tank and educational powerhouse located in Irvine, California, and a lecturer in engineering at San Diego State University. Dr. Uskoković holds degrees in physical chemistry (BSc & MS), materials science and engineering (MSc), and nanoscience and nanotechnologies (PhD), and has completed postdoctoral trainings in colloid chemistry, fine particle synthesis, biomimetics, tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery. Prior to his current appointments, he was a professor in the schools of engineering, pharmacy and medicine at the University of California in Irvine, Chapman University and University of Illinois in Chicago, respectively, where he ran research labs and taught a variety of subjects, including biomaterials, nanophysics, medical devices, biologics, bio-optics, and other. He was also a principal investigator and a research scientist at University of California in San Francisco, Clarkson University in New York, Jožef Stefan Institute in Slovenia, and the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Dr. Uskoković’s research, which resulted in over 200 publications, provided major contributions to the scientific understanding of a number of critical phenomena from physical and biological sciences. Many of Dr. Uskoković’s discoveries have originated from the enthusiasm to address the pressing medical needs of humanity, particularly in the domains of targeted drug delivery, bone tissue engineering, and next-generation antimicrobial and anticancer therapies. Dr. Uskoković is the recipient of the prestigious Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health and a prolific author of research papers, reviews and essays throughout his decades-long scientific career. A true renaissance scientist, Dr. Uskoković has also been a lifelong advocate of the union between natural sciences, arts and humanities. A quintessential contribution to this interdisciplinary venture came through his pioneering work on treating scientific paper as a medium for combined displays of analytical rigor, scientific novelty, humanistic values and artistic expression.