Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience
An interdisciplinary Georgia Tech research institute that coordinates bioengineering and bioscience research across academic departments and partner institutions.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience, commonly known as the Petit Institute or IBB, is one of the interdisciplinary research institutes at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Established in 1995, it was created to consolidate and accelerate Georgia Tech's developing work in bioengineering, bioscience, and related life-science fields. Rather than operating as a conventional commercial brand, the institute functions as an academic research platform, a shared-facilities organization, and a coordinating hub for investigators whose work crosses departmental and institutional boundaries. The institute grew out of a longer effort to bring greater coherence to Georgia Tech's life-science research. The university established a Bioengineering Center in 1985, followed by the Emory/Georgia Tech Biomedical Technology Research Center in 1987. During the late 1980s, faculty working in biochemistry, bioengineering, and related disciplines began organizing broader institutional initiatives designed to promote collaboration. These efforts helped establish the basis for a more formal bioengineering program and positioned Georgia Tech to compete for major development support. A significant turning point came in 1993, when the Whitaker Foundation selected Georgia Tech for a Biomedical Engineering Development Award. The award recognized the cross-disciplinary foundation that had already been built and supported the development of a bioengineering PhD program, approved in 1994. University leaders emphasized that bioengineering should be developed by connecting existing academic areas rather than creating an isolated departmental silo. This philosophy became central to the institute's identity and to the design of its facilities. The institute's physical home was enabled in part by a $5 million endowment from Georgia Tech alumnus Parker H. Petit. The gift helped the university move from plans for a relatively modest renovation to a larger biotechnology complex. In recognition of the contribution, the institute was named for Petit. The three-story building opened in July 1999 on the north side of the Georgia Tech campus, at the corner of Atlantic Drive and Ferst Drive. IBB supports research centers and investigators working across fields such as pharmaceuticals, immunoengineering, cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, diabetes, biomolecular science, biomechanics, and regenerative medicine. It also provides a base for centers associated with the Georgia Research Alliance and collaborates with non-member institutions, including Morehouse School of Medicine. The institute serves as headquarters for more than a dozen biomedical and bioengineering centers, supplying infrastructure and staffing support intended to make interdisciplinary work easier to organize and sustain. Its facilities include a 150,000-square-foot building designed around an open, three-story atrium. The building's research neighborhoods are arranged to encourage interaction among researchers from different departments. Ten core research facilities provide specialized capabilities in areas including mass spectrometry, biomechanics, biomolecular and cellular analysis, genomics, histology, magnetic resonance imaging, microcomputed tomography, microscopy and biophotonics, and pluripotent stem-cell research. The Center for Immunoengineering at Georgia Tech is also based at the institute. Through these facilities and programs, the Petit Institute's role is less about selling a discrete product than about providing the research environment, technical infrastructure, and institutional coordination needed to advance biomedical discovery and translation.
History
Georgia Tech began consolidating life-science and bioengineering activity in 1985 with the creation of a Bioengineering Center. Before that initiative, relevant work was distributed among separate academic departments. In 1987, Georgia Tech and Emory University established the Emory/Georgia Tech Biomedical Technology Research Center, adding a formal institutional mechanism for biomedical collaboration. By 1988, faculty members with interests in biochemistry and bioengineering were organizing efforts to increase cooperation across the life sciences and engineering. The emerging collaborative structure helped Georgia Tech receive one of five Biomedical Engineering Development Awards from the Whitaker Foundation in 1993. The award recognized the university's potential to build a strong biomedical engineering program and provided momentum for a more permanent institutional structure. The Whitaker support contributed to the development of a bioengineering PhD program, which was approved in 1994. It also intensified discussion about creating a dedicated bioengineering department or institute. Georgia Tech leaders, including presidents Pat Crecine and G. Wayne Clough, favored an approach that would connect existing departments rather than establish an isolated academic silo. The university consequently pursued an institute and facilities model intended to make collaboration part of the physical and organizational environment. Initial plans focused on renovating existing campus space. However, university leadership concluded that the proposed renovation would not provide sufficient capacity. Plans progressed first toward an addition to the Weber Building and later toward a larger biotechnology complex on the north side of campus. A $5 million endowment from alumnus Parker H. Petit was instrumental in enabling the expanded project. The institute was named the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience in recognition of that support. The institute was established in 1995, while its dedicated building opened in July 1999. The facility occupies 150,000 square feet and was designed to support researchers from multiple departments. Its central atrium, which spans three stories and links the building's research neighborhoods, reflects the institute's emphasis on visibility and interaction among disciplines. The building also includes shared scientific infrastructure and a small restaurant, Le Petit Cafe. Over time, IBB developed into a coordinating home for a broad collection of biomedical and bioengineering centers. It supports Georgia Research Alliance members as well as collaborators from institutions outside that alliance, including Morehouse School of Medicine. Its research scope encompasses pharmaceuticals, immunoengineering, cancer, heart disease, infectious disease, diabetes, biomolecular science, biomechanics, imaging, and regenerative medicine. The institute also houses the Center for Immunoengineering at Georgia Tech. The institute's present role is to provide research coordination, specialized facilities, and operational support for interdisciplinary work. Its ten core facilities offer capabilities ranging from mass spectrometry and genome analysis to magnetic resonance imaging, microscopy, microcomputed tomography, histology, and stem-cell research. In this model, the Petit Institute operates as shared academic infrastructure and a platform for biomedical innovation rather than as a standalone commercial enterprise.
- 1999
Dedicated building opened
[1]The institute's purpose-built, three-story facility opened on the north side of the Georgia Tech campus in July.
- 1995
Petit Institute established
[1]Georgia Tech established the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience to centralize and accelerate interdisciplinary bio-research.
- 1994
Bioengineering PhD program approved
[1]The university approved a bioengineering PhD program, reinforcing the case for a dedicated institutional structure and expanded facilities.
- 1993
Whitaker Foundation development award
[1]Georgia Tech received a Biomedical Engineering Development Award from the Whitaker Foundation in recognition of its emerging cross-disciplinary biomedical engineering program.
- 1987
Emory/Georgia Tech biomedical research partnership formed
[1]The Emory/Georgia Tech Biomedical Technology Research Center was established, strengthening formal cooperation in biomedical technology research.
- 1985
Bioengineering Center established
[1]Georgia Tech created a Bioengineering Center to begin coordinating life-science and bioengineering research that had previously been dispersed among academic departments.
Products and positioning
An interdisciplinary academic research hub designed to connect engineering, biology, medicine, and life-science research rather than confining bioengineering work within a single departmental structure.
Academic research · 1995
Interdisciplinary bioengineering research
IBB coordinates research joining engineering, biology, chemistry, medicine, and related disciplines. Its research portfolio includes work in pharmaceuticals, immunoengineering, cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, diabetes, biomolecular science, and regenerative medicine.
Scientific infrastructure
Core research facilities
The institute operates ten specialized core facilities that provide shared capabilities for mass spectrometry, biomechanics, biomolecular and cellular analysis, genome analysis, histology, magnetic resonance imaging, microcomputed tomography, microscopy and biophotonics, and pluripotent stem-cell research.
Research administration · 1995
Research-center support
IBB serves as the headquarters for more than a dozen biomedical and bioengineering centers. It provides infrastructure support and staffing resources to help affiliated centers organize collaborative research and maintain shared capabilities.
Research center
Center for Immunoengineering at Georgia Tech
The Center for Immunoengineering is housed within the Petit Institute and represents one of the institute's focused research communities. Its presence reflects IBB's role in supporting specialized biomedical programs within a broader interdisciplinary framework.
Brand decisions
1995
Create an interdisciplinary bioengineering instituteStrategyBackground
Georgia Tech's life-science and bioengineering activity had developed across multiple departments, while the Whitaker-supported PhD program created demand for stronger institutional coordination and facilities.
Action taken
The university established the Petit Institute as a cross-disciplinary research hub instead of relying solely on a standalone departmental model.
Aftermath
The institute became a coordinating home for biomedical and bioengineering centers, shared laboratories, and research partnerships involving Georgia Tech and external institutions.
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