Carlos M. Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering
Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
Whether guiding magnetic nanoparticles through the human body or building new tools to visualize disease in real time, Carlos M. Rinaldi-Ramos works at the frontier where engineering meets medicine. His research has helped establish new ways to design, measure, and deploy nanomaterials for medical imaging and therapy, making the University of Florida a global hub for innovation in magnetic particle-based technologies.
Rinaldi-Ramos is an internationally recognized leader in biomedical engineering whose work centers on magnetic nanoparticles — materials thousands of times smaller than a human hair that can be precisely controlled using magnetic fields. His early research transformed scientific understanding of how these particles behave in fluids and under dynamic magnetic forces, laying the groundwork for today’s nanomedicine applications. Building on that foundation, his laboratory developed new methods to synthesize nearly defect-free nanoparticles with exceptional stability in biological environments, a key advance for medical safety and effectiveness.
A major thrust of his research is magnetic particle imaging, a cutting-edge, noninvasive imaging technology that allows researchers and clinicians to track cells, drugs and therapies inside the body in real time. Rinaldi-Ramos has played a central role in positioning UF as a global leader in MPI by advancing both its core science and clinical applications, including image-guided thermal therapies and tracking cancer immunotherapies. “Our work in magnetic particle imaging is transforming how we visualize and track therapies,” he notes, “and it positions UF at the forefront of biomedical innovation.”
Rinaldi-Ramos has also provided significant academic leadership, including service as chair of UF’s Department of Chemical Engineering and in national advisory roles with the National Institutes of Health. In her nomination, department chair Cherie Stabler wrote that Rinaldi-Ramos’s leadership and groundbreaking research have elevated UF’s global reputation in nanomedicine and imaging, while his dedication to mentoring has strengthened the future of the field.”