Karim Abdel-Malek and Thomas Casavant, professors in the University of Iowa College of Engineering, have been named Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). A formal induction ceremony will be held Feb. 20, 2012, in Washington, D.C.

The institute cited Abdel-Malek for outstanding contributions in the area of human simulation, leading to the creation of SANTOS™, a physics-based human simulator, and Casavant for outstanding contributions in the fields of parallel and high performance computing, bioinformatics, genomics, and computational biology.

Abdel-Malek is director of the Center for Computer Aided Design and UI professor of biomedical and mechanical engineering. An international expert in human simulation, 3D visualization, and virtual reality, he is founder and director of the Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program.

Casavant, professor of electrical and computer engineering with joint appointments in biomedical engineering and opthalmology and visual sciences, holds the Roy J. Carver, Jr. Chair in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and directs the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. He also serves as co-principal investigator of the John and Marcia Carver Nonprofit Genetic Testing Laboratory and associate director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.