The Chemistry Department is proud to recognize alumnus Dr. Kenneth Savin on being named in TIME100 Health, a list of the 100 most influential people in global health. This prestigious list annually recognizes individuals making groundbreaking contributions to the future of health and medicine.
Savin is the Chief Scientific Officer at Redwire, a bioengineering company specializing in manufacturing protein crystals and human tissue in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station, in partnership with NASA and the ISS National Laboratory. Through these collaborations, he has helped expand access to low Earth orbit for researchers seeking to better understand the fundamentals of human biology in the absence of gravity, says the ISS Center for Advancement of Science in Space. Through these initiatives, scientists can utilize the benefits of near zero gravity in space to develop drugs that can be used to battle cancer and other diseases. Redwire says their breakthroughs “address challenges faced by millions of people worldwide through the application of organ transplantation and tissue therapy and advance the next generation of pharmaceutical therapies.”
“I am deeply honored to be recognized as one of the TIME100’s most influential figures in health for 2025,” said Dr. Savin. “Through microgravity research and development, we are seeing extraordinary scientific achievements that are accelerating game changing biomedical breakthroughs not possible on Earth and with enormous potential for the future of human health. I am honored and proud to be part of the Redwire team and excited to see what we are able to accomplish next.”
Kenneth Savin and his wife Lisa Wenzler Savin both received their PhDs in Chemistry from the University of Utah in 1996 as members of Dr. Gary Keck and Dr. Thomas Beebe's labs, respectively. Dr. Lisa Savin recently retired from pharmaceutical company Lilly, a “medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world”. She spent 14 years as a Research and Development Scientist before serving as Associate Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs for 12 years. Dr. Kennth Savin also had a successful 20 year career at Lilly before spending time working as the Senior Director of In-Space Applications at the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, and finally becoming Chief Scientific Officer at Redwire.
The Chemistry Department proudly congratulates the Savins on their exceptional contributions to the health and science industries.
6/19/2025