Lars Gilbertson, Ph.D., is the instructor of “Biomedical Engineering Team Design,” a capstone upper-tier service learning course with community partners St. Margaret’s and Team Gleason. His academic interests are centered on design and service and their interrelationships, and he is committed to bolstering design to better serve the dynamic New Orleans innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Gilbertson was recruited to Tulane in 2011 after a 15-year career in academic medical research. He recently co-led a Tulane Biomedical Engineering student team in a human-centered design & venture capital pitch competition sponsored by the Coulter Foundation, and he recently completed introductory training and certification in TRIZ Russian design methodology. As an Social Entrepreneurship Professor, Lars is actively involved in connecting and combining design-related sectors in NOLA to develop innovative solutions in assistive devices and medical technology.
Gilbertson was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to establish and direct the Tulane Innovation-Corps Site for a Resurgent New Orleans. The Tulane I-Corps Site is expected to expand economic development and reinforce the burgeoning life sciences industry of New Orleans and surrounding region, as well as to strengthen Tulane’s commitment to STEM education, women and underrepresented minorities, global health initiatives, and service to persons with disabilities.
Gilbertson is a Carnegie Fellow and held the NewDay Professorship in Social Entrepreneurship from 2014-2019.