Dr. Marianna Foldvari

Dr. Marianna Foldvari is the Canada Research Chair in Bionanotechnology and Nanomedicine and a Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy. Dr. Foldvari’s expertise is in pharmaceutics, dosage form and drug delivery system design (dermal, transdermal, transmucosal, ocular, intranasal, injectables and needle-free) nanotechnology, non-viral delivery methods and vaccine development. She has over 20 years of experience as an academic researcher and in research and development in the pharmaceutical industry through technology transfer activities. Her research program is focusing on non-invasive drug delivery, gene therapy and pharmaceutical development of nano-enabled products.

Dr. Foldvari's research is supported by grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Dr Foldvari is a member of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy and the Controlled Release Society. She currently serves as Associate Editor for Precision Nanomedicine and Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Controlled Release.

Dr. Foldvari served as a grant reviewer on CIHR, NSERC, CFI and NIH panels and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Initiatives review board. Dr. Foldvari is one of the Founding Directors of the American Society for Nanomedicine (ASNM) and the International Society of Nanomedicine (ISNM). She served as Board Member for Genome Prairie and was a Member of the Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister on Science and Technology and a Founder of the Canadian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences (CSPS). She is an AAPS Fellow and received the AFPC Pfizer Research Career Award, the Honorary Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievements in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Ontario, the YWCA Women of Distinction Award and the Sabex Award of Innovation. She is a frequently invited speaker at national and international conferences on gene and protein delivery systems and nanomedicine development and applications. Dr. Foldvari has authored more than 150 papers and 100 conference presentations and is the inventor on 25 patents.

Education

- PhD, Pharmaceutical Sciences
College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

- D Pharm Sci, Doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Summa cum laude, Faculty of Pharmacy
Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary

- BSc, Faculty of Pharmacy
Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary

Positions and Honors

2007–2014 Canada Research Chair in Bionanotechnology and Nanomedicine (CIHR, Tier 1), University of Waterloo
2006–to date Professor (tenured) of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and the Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo
2007-to date Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology
2007-to date Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology
2007–2010 Associate Director, Research and Graduate Studies, School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo
2006–to date Adjunct Professor, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan
2006 Visiting Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Robert Langer’s Laboratory, MIT
2004–2006 Associate Dean Research and Graduate Affairs, University of Saskatchewan
1998–2000 Head, Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan
1999–2002 Vice President R&D, Helix BioPharma Inc.
1996–1999 Helix Chair in Industrial Pharmacy, University of Saskatchewan
1991–2002 President and Director R&D, PharmaDerm Laboratories Ltd.
1999–2006 Professor (tenured), College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan
1991–1998 Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan
1988–1991 Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan

Distinctions and Awards

Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology (WIN) Research Leaders Award, 2018
Honorary Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievements in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Ontario, 2017
AAPS Fellow, 2017
The AFPC Pfizer Research Career Award, 2017
YWCA Women of Distinction Award Recipient (entrepreneur/innovator category), 1997
Helix Chair in Industrial Pharmacy, University of Saskatchewan, 1996–1999
Listing in A. Wood, Canadian Women Invent!, 2001
Award of Innovation, University of Saskatchewan and Innovation Place, 2005
Saskatchewan 25 Science Achievements, Government of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Centennial
Sabex Award of Innovation
YWCA Women of Distinction Award Recipient (Entrepreneur/Innovator Category)
Scanning Microscopy International Presidential Scholarship for Conference Presentation Robert A. Chesebrough Gold Medal for Original Research on Vaseline^® Petroleum Jelly (Third Place)
Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship