Dr. Carlo David Montemagno

CARBONDALE, IL – Dr. Carlo David Montemagno, 62, passed away at 1:20AM on Thursday, October 11, 2018 at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.



Dr. Montemagno was born August 7, 1956 to Gasper Patrick and Jacqueline Ann (Graham) Montemagno in Bronx, NY. He married Pamela Ann LaCava on December 10, 1976.



Dr. Montemagno served his country in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corp for 9 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Cornell University in New York, his master’s degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and his doctoral degree in Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Dr. Montemagno became an internationally recognized expert in nanotechnology and biomedical engineering, focusing on over the horizon technologies to create interdisciplinary solutions for grand societal issues in the areas of health, energy and the environment.



Most recently, he was eager to share his vision as the Chancellor of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Prior to his appointment at SIU, he founded the multidisciplinary Ingenuity Lab based at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In addition to leading the lab, he served as Director of the Biomaterials Program for the Canadian Research Council’s National Institute for Nanotechnology as well as Research Chair in Intelligent Nanosystems for the Canadian National Research Council. Before joining the faculty at the University of Alberta, he was the Founding Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. Carlo served as a the Founding Chair of the Department of Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, Co-Director of the NASA Center for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration, and Associate Director of the California Nanosystems Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles.



Throughout the course of his career, Dr. Montemagno received a number of awards for his innovative scientific work, including the Feynman Prize for Experimental Work in Nanotechnology, the Earth Award Grand Prize and the CNBC Business Top 10 Green Innovators award. He was named a Bill & Melinda Gates Grand Challenge Winner for his development of an oral vaccine delivery system that increased vaccine stability. He was named a Fellow for the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering, the American Academy for Nanomedicine and the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts. He was widely published, served on the editorial boards of multiple academic journals and was a sought-after speaker on nanotechnology.



He was a passionate man both in his career and in his personal life and devoted himself fully to whatever task or interest was at hand. He was an avid reader and collector of books, an aerobatic and commercial pilot, enjoyed field trialing hunting dogs, falconry, ice climbing in the Canadian Rockies, and most importantly, spending time with his grandchildren watching bad science fiction and war movies, sharing his love of disco, and teaching them to fly-fish. He will be forever missed and loved.



He is survived by his loving wife of over 40 years, Pamela; his daughter, Melissa Germain and her husband Jeffrey; his son, Christopher Montemagno and his wife Heather; grandchildren, Keilani, Carlo, Spencer, Hanna, and Fiona; his mother, Jacqueline Montemagno; his brother, Thomas Montemagno and his wife Jill; his sister, Eileen Minor and her husband John; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.



He is preceded in death by his father.



Graveside services with full military honors will be held 12:30 PM on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at Mound City National Cemetery in Mound City, Illinois. Meredith Funeral Home in Carbondale is in charge of arrangements.



Memorials may be made to “This Able Veteran”; 1714 S. Wolf Creek Road; Carbondale, IL 62902.



To share condolences, leave a story or memory of Dr. Montemagno visit the Chancellor’s Blog at blog.chancellor.siu.edu.