Dr. Donald Tomalia, PhD
Science Advisory Board Member​

Donald A. Tomalia, Ph.D., is a pioneering polymer chemist and nanotechnology innovator internationally recognized for his foundational contributions to the discovery and development of dendrimers. His work helped establish dendrimers as an important class of precisely structured macromolecules with applications across nanotechnology, medicine and drug development.

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Dr. Tomalia earned his B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and his Ph.D. in Physical-Organic Chemistry from Michigan State University while working at The Dow Chemical Company. His research at Dow contributed to the development of new highly branched macromolecular architectures and helped establish the scientific foundations of modern dendrimer chemistry.

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Throughout his career, Dr. Tomalia has combined scientific discovery with entrepreneurial leadership. He founded three dendrimer-focused nanotechnology companies: Dendritech, Dendritic Nanotechnologies and NanoSynthons. His academic and research leadership has included the National Dendrimer & Nanotechnology Center and appointments associated with Central Michigan University, the University of Pennsylvania, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

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His scientific contributions encompass dendrimers, dendritic polymers, polyoxazolines, nanomedicine and the broader organization of matter at the nanoscale. His body of work includes more than 135 U.S. patents and over 265 peer-reviewed publications. In 2016, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of his pioneering contributions to nanotechnology and nanomedicine.

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At SMDG, Dr. Tomalia contributes exceptional expertise in macromolecular design, dendrimer science, nanotechnology, scientific innovation and the translation of advanced materials into biomedical applications as a member of the Science Advisory Board.

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