Velencia Witherspoon

Velencia Witherspoon, Ph.D., currently serves as a Member at Tulane Cancer Center and an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tulane University, both since January 2024 and October 2024, respectively. With a strong background in chemical engineering, Velencia previously held roles as an IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow and K99 MOSAIC Fellow at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development from July 2019 to January 2024, and as an NRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology from July 2017 to July 2019. Velencia's research expertise includes materials-based phantom development for Diffusion Tensor Imaging methods, functional polymer materials, and advanced magnetic resonance techniques for characterizing porous media during earlier experiences at UC Berkeley, RWTH Aachen, and various internships with Chevron and Procter & Gamble. Velencia earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.