Research @ UVA Engineering

Using biomaterials to investigate immune cell-fibroblast crosstalk during tissue fibrosis and regeneration in order to better understand disease pathogenesis and identify new therapeutic targets.

Thomas Barker explores and therapeutically exploits the fundamental links between fibroblast adaptation to their physical and biochemical microenvironment and their myofibroblastic differentiation during tissue repair, fibrosis and cancer.

Professor Bart-Smith joined the University of Virginia faculty in the fall of 2002. Dr. Bart-Smith came to UVA from Princeton University where she worked at the Princeton Materials Institute with A.G. Evans. Bart-Smith has founded the Multifunctional Materials and Structures Laboratory and the Bio-inspired Engineering Research Laboratory.

Bryan received and his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware. He was a post-doctoral fellow in the department of biochemistry & biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Currently Bryan is associate professor of chemical engineering with a joint appointment in biomedical engineering.

My lab’s research lies at the interface of soft (bio)materials and biology. We seek to understand and control the interactions between soft (bio)materials and living systems to solve challenges in sustainability and health. We do this using a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches.

The Caliari Lab designs, synthesizes, and characterizes new biomaterials to explore the dynamic interplay between cells and their microenvironment, applying these platforms to address fundamental human health challenges in understanding disease and engineering tissues.

George Joseph Christ, Ph.D., develops basic and translational tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches to organ and tissue repair, reconstruction and replacement, with a focus on the musculoskeletal system, vasculature and lower urinary tract. Dr. Christ is an internationally recognized expert in muscle physiology.

Prior to joining UVA as an Associate Professor in 2012, Dr. Dong was an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Wright State University. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA in 2003. After completing his doctorate, he spent three years as a post-doctoral researcher at the George Washington University.

Ph.D. in Science, Technology, and Society from Virginia Tech. Research areas include: History of Eugenics, Regenerative and Genetic Medicine, Transhumanism, Cyborgs, and Future Imaginaries. Scholarly Fields include: Philosophy of Technology, Medical Humanities, Media Studies, Disability Studies.

Professor Cassandra L Fraser from University of Virginia joined the editorial board of Materials Chemistry Frontiers in 2016. She specializes in responsive materials for imaging, sensing and detection, specifically oxygen sensing biomaterials, mechanochromic luminescence materials and polymeric metal complexes.