Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D., K.C.S.L., attended the Royal Academy of Engineering Fellows Day in April in London, which was part of the celebration of the Academy’s 50th anniversary.
The prestigious event provided the opportunity for Academy Fellows to strengthen the Fellowship community, connect with peers, meet the newest cohort of fellows, and engage with colleagues from across the Academy. 2026 marks 50 years of the Academy’s work and recognizes its diverse engineering excellence.
Laurencin was elected a Fellow of the Academy in 2021, the sole U.S. professor among the international fellows that were added that year. He is one of the few individuals internationally with this distinction, and has several other, top-tier global engineering fellowships, including the Indian National Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the African Academy of Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences. He is also an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Laurencin is internationally known as the founder of the field of Regenerative Engineering, pioneering the convergence of materials science, stem cell biology, and clinical translation for the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems. His pioneering achievements earned him recognition as the “Father of Regenerative Engineering,” and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Foundation established the Cato T. Laurencin Founder’s Award in Regenerative Engineering in his honor.
He was recently selected as the winner of the 2026 Jensen Tissue Engineering Award 2026 by TERMIS (Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society, Inc.) Global. The Jensen Tissue Engineering Award is the highest international accolade bestowed by TERMIS.
Laurencin is the first surgeon in history elected to all four major U.S. national academies. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine, and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He is also an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
At the University of Connecticut, Laurencin serves as University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UConn School of Medicine. He also holds professorships in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. Additionally, he serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, an Institute created and named in his honor.
His extensive recognitions include the Priestley Medal, the highest honor of the American Chemical Society.
In recognition of his global contributions, Laurencin was bestowed Knight Commander of the Order of St. Lucia, conferred under the auspices of King Charles III through the Governor General of St. Lucia.
