Rafael Davalos, PhD, MS

Biography

Rafael Davalos, PhD, MS, is the Margaret P. and John H. Weitnauer Jr. Chaired Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. Dr. Davalos is a member of the Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. His laboratory conducts fundamental research that integrates molecular and microscale biophysics with electrophysiology to develop innovative methods for treating cancer and personalized medicine. 

Previously, he served as the L. Preston Wade Professor in the Virginia Tech – Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, director of the Virginia Tech Center for Engineered Health and co-leader of Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Signaling and Biotechnology Program.   

Education 

Dr. Davalos earned a Master of Science in mechanical engineering and a PhD in mechanical bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Titles & Roles

• Margaret P. and John H. Weitnauer Jr. Chaired Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

  Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University

Professional Memberships

Active in numerous professional organizations and societies, he is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.

Research

Dr. Davalos's research interests are in microfluidics for personalized medicine and developing technologies for cancer therapy. He holds 47 patents, which to date have been licensed to seven companies around the world.  He co-invented Irreversible Electroporation (IRE), a minimally invasive, non-thermal surgical technique to treat unresectable tumors near critical structures such as major blood vessels and nerves. The technology, known commercially as NanoKnife, is currently being used to treat patients with prostate and pancreatic cancer. He is working on a next generation platform for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Publications

Awards

Dr. Davalos is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a HENAAC award for the Nation's Most Promising Hispanic Engineer and ASME’s Van C. Mow Medal.