Patrick Stayton serves as the Distinguished Career Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. Dr. Stayton was the founding Director of the Institute for Molecular Engineering and Sciences at UW. His laboratory develops new drug therapeutics, drug delivery systems, and biomaterials for the regenerative medicine field. Dr. Stayton has a strong interest in translating the group’s research, has been awarded many patents, and is a co-founder of several new companies including PhaseRx Inc. based on his group’s RNA drug delivery work. Dr. Stayton has been elected as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and has been the recipient of the Clemson Award from the Society For Biomaterials and the CRS-Cygnus Recognition Award from the Controlled Release Society. He has also been awarded the College of Engineering’s Faculty Innovator Award, and the Distinguished Teacher and Mentor Award from the Department of Bioengineering. Many graduate students and postdoctoral fellows trained in his lab and gone on to impactful academic and industry careers.