Biomaterials and tissue engineering

Professor Information


Liza-Anastasia DiCecco is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Design Engineering. She works specifically with their Biomedical Engineering program. The DiCecco Team, known as the Regenerative Biomaterials Innovation Group, explores biomimetic implant development for hard tissue applications and fundamental biomineralization processes. Her team leverages advanced multiscale characterization tools to explore biomaterials with new lenses.Ìý
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  • Biomaterials
  • Bone
  • Implants
  • Biomineralization
  • Electron Microscopy
  • Material Characterization
  • Liquid Phase Electron Microscopy
  • Imaging



Maud Gorbet is a Professor in the Department of Systems Design Engineering and the Director of the Biomedical Engineering undergraduate program. Her research interests center on biocompatibility issues with a focus on the role of innate immune cells and the impact of material-induced inflammation in the ocular and cardiovascular environments. Research in Professor Gorbet’s lab aims to understand interactions between biomaterials and biological systems. A better understanding of the mechanisms of material-induced cellular activation will support the design of materials and/or therapeutic strategies that can improve biocompatibility and will hence reduce the risks of complications.Ìý



  • Improving biocompatibilityÌýÌý

  • Immune cellsÌý

  • Inflammation responseÌý

  • Cardiovascular systemÌý

  • Biomedical devicesÌý

  • BiomaterialsÌýÌý

  • Cellular activationÌýÌý

  • In vitro cell modelsÌý

  • NeutrophilsÌý



Lyndon Jones is a Professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University Professor and director of the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) at the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ. He has authored over 500 refereed and professional papers, one text-book and given over 1200 invited lectures at conferences worldwide, in over 40 countries.Ìý



  • Clinical trial designÌý

  • Contact lens performanceÌý

  • Drug deliveryÌý

  • Ocular biomaterialsÌý

  • Proteins at interfacesÌý

  • Clinical ImagingÌý

  • Ocular BiologyÌý

  • Optical DevicesÌý

  • Vision ServicesÌý

  • Technology and OpticsÌý

  • Smart MaterialsÌý

  • Biomaterials, Polymers and BioplasticsÌý

  • Thernostic MaterialsÌý

  • Bionanotechnology and BiosensorsÌý

  • Next Generation Energy SystemsÌý

  • NanomaterialsÌý

  • Smart and Functional MaterialsÌý

  • Drug Discovery, Design and DeliveryÌý


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Veronika Magdanz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Design Engineering.

She obtained her doctorate from the University of Dresden in 2016 for the development of sperm-driven microrobots performed at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research IFW Dresden in Germany. Subsequently, she conducted research in metabolic and kinetic studies of sperm as well as sperm-templated microrobots at the Applied Zoology department of the TU Dresden. During her time as Humboldt Fellow at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia she explored medical applications of flexible magnetic small-scale robots and the 3D bioprinting of muscle tissue.Ìý

Her main research interest is in microrobotics for medical applications. This includes biohybrid approaches, such as harnessing functionalities of cells and other bio logical components for innovative solutions in medicine. Further, she works on the development of bioinspired artificial microrobots that are wirelessly controlled by magnetic fields.Ìý



  • microrobotsÌý

  • sperm cellsÌý

  • magnetic actuationÌý

  • remote controlÌý

  • wirelessÌý

  • soft robotsÌý

  • medical robotsÌý

  • bioprintingÌý

  • 3D printingÌý


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Dale Martin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology.

The research in the Martin Lab focuses on identifying and characterising therapeutics that reduce levels of mutant huntingtin, the causative agent of the neurodegenerative disease Huntington disease (HD), by repairing the protein clearance pathway of autophagy and gene silencing. Our approach is highly collaborative and multi-faceted involving the identification of human SNPs, population genetics, protein characterization, chemical biology and high-resolution microscopy. Various aspects of these studies are performed in yeast, cell culture or mice.



  • Neuroscience
  • Disease Detection and Modeling
  • Drug Discovery, Design and Delivery
  • Biochemistry and Biophysics
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Physiology, Cell and Developmental Biology
  • Bioinformatics, Systematics and Evolution
  • Nanomaterials


Elisabeth Prince is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Her research interests lie at the interface of soft matter design, polymer chemistry, biomimetic materials, and sustainability.

Elisabeth started her education at the University of Toronto, where she received her undergraduate degree in Biological Chemistry. In 2021 she received her PhD in Polymer and Materials Chemistry from the University of Toronto under the supervision of Professor Eugenia Kumacheva. During her PhD, she designed nanostructured hydrogels that mimic the architecture and mechanical properties of native biological tissues. In collaboration with the Princess Margaret Cancer Center, she developed new hydrogel matrices for growing patient-derived microtumors, which are an emerging platform for developing personalized cancer therapies.

Her research group designs the molecular architecture of polymer networks, including hydrogels, elastomers, and thermosets. They develop biomimetic hydrogels for applications in tissue engineering and in-vitro modeling of disease. They also develop new tools for addressing the global plastic waste crisis.
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  • Soft matter
  • Biomimetic hydrogels
  • Filamentous hydrogels
  • Hydrogel mechanics
  • Injectable hydrogels
  • Tissue engineering
  • Biomedical engineering
  • Polymer synthesis
  • Polymer self-assembly
  • Sustainable plastics
  • Chemical recycling of plastics


Hamed Shahsavan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Before joining University of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ in 2020, he was an NSERC postdoctoral fellow at Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. During his PhD studies, he was a visiting scholar in the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University, Ohio, USA. During his post-doctoral fellowship, he was a visiting scientist in the Smart Photonic Materials (SPM) research group at the University of Tampere in Finland. Hamed's current research interests revolve around the development of a variety of soft, stimuli-responsive, and programmable materials. In addition, he is interested in emerging fabrication strategies for the manufacturing of small-scale mobile robots and devices, such as direct laser writing, and micro-scale 4D printing.Ìý

  • Smart PolymersÌý

  • Liquid Crystal ElastomersÌý

  • Soft Robotic MaterialsÌý

  • Micro Additive ManufacturingÌý

  • 4D PrintingÌý

  • Surface and Interfacial EngineeringÌý


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Roderick Slavcev is an Associate Professor in the School of Pharmacy. His research specializes in bacteriophage-based biotechnology and exploits phage genetic systems and phage themselves in the generation of novel therapeutic platforms. With particular focus on coliphages, his lab’s research designs and constructs vectors for novel vaccines, gene delivery systems and immunotherapeutics. In addition his team identifies and applies novel phage genomic anti-bacterial genes with potential phage therapy applications. Research in the Slavcev lab is heavily multidisciplinary, integrating genetics, molecular biology, microbiology, gene therapy, virology, therapeutic design, and synthetic in vivo biology.Ìý


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  • Therapeutic designÌý

  • Drug Discovery, Design and DeliveryÌý

  • Oncology & infectious disease immunotherapyÌý

  • Dementia therapeutics and vaccine designÌý

  • iNeuron Cell TherapyÌý

  • Ocular BiologyÌý

  • Anti-bacterialsÌý

  • Phage-based therapeutic platformsÌý

  • Phage-based biomanufacturingÌý

  • VaccinesÌý

  • Gene editingÌý

  • Targeted gene therapyÌý

  • NanomaterialsÌý

  • Bionanotechnology and Biosensors


Mihaela Vlasea is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering.

Additive manufacturing is rapidly changing the manufacturing landscape. Dr. Vlasea’s research focuses on innovative design, process optimization and adoption of new materials for powder bed fusion and binder jetting additive manufacturing processes. The research goals are to bridge the technological gaps necessary to improve part quality, process repeatability and reliability.
  • Additive manufacturing
  • Advanced manufacturing
  • Powder bed fusion
  • Binder jetting
  • Process modeling
  • Digital design optimization
  • Process optimization
  • Process modeling
  • Data analytics
  • Monitoring and controls strategies


Thomas Willett is an Associate Professor in the Department of Systems Design Engineering.

His research interests concern the mechanics and engineering of skeletal biomaterials and tissues.ÌýÌý

His lab summarizes their efforts as interdisciplinary investigation and innovation for improved bone health and repair. A great deal of what they do concerns structure-function-property relationships, how these change with aging and disease in bone, and how they can be optimized in the development of superior structural biomedical materials. We specialize in mechanical testing of biomedical and biological materials.Ìý

  • Mechanics of Biomedical and Biological MaterialsÌý

  • Bone Mechanics, especially Fracture MechanicsÌý

  • Bone Quality and FragilityÌý

  • Biomaterials & Tissue EngineeringÌý

  • Additive Manufacturing/3D PrintingÌý

  • Mechanical testingÌý

  • Fracture mechanicsÌý

  • Collagen

Yimin Wu is the inaugural Tang Family Chair in New Energy Materials and Sustainability and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. Professor Wu’s research focuses on the design of new energy materials for solar fuels and batteries, and novel electronic, photonic, responsive materials for flexible electronics and soft robotics, and energy efficient neuromorphic computing through a deep understanding of energy transduction processes at interfaces. Wu is the director of the Materials Interfaces Foundry (MIF) at the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ and serves on the board of directors in À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ Institute for Nanotechnology.Ìý

  • Sustainable ManufacturingÌý

  • Materials InterfacesÌý

  • Energy MaterialsÌý

  • Solar FuelsÌý

  • CO2 reductionÌý

  • Ammonia synthesisÌý

  • BatteriesÌý

  • Plastic recycling and upcyclingÌý

  • In situ Multimodal CharacterizationsÌý

  • Artificial IntelligenceÌý

  • Connectivity and Internet of ThingsÌý

  • Electronic and Photonic MaterialsÌý

  • Responsive MaterialsÌý

  • Neuromorphic ComputingÌý

  • Flexible Electronics and Soft RoboticsÌý

  • SensingÌý

  • HealthcareÌý

  • NanotechnologyÌý


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Evelyn Yim is the Canada Research Chair in Nanomaterials for Regenerative Medicine (Tier 1) Professor and an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. She is experienced with nanofabrication technologies and stem cell culture. Evelyn and her group are interested to apply the knowledge of biomaterial-stem cell interaction to direct stem cell differentiation and tissue regeneration for neural, vascular and corneal tissue engineering. Evelyn is one of the pioneers in studying stem cell-topography interactions and related applications in tissue engineering. She is one of the leading researchers studying the use of synthetic materials for altering stem cell behavior and differentiation.Ìý


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  • Modulation of cell behaviour with nanotopographyÌý

  • Topography-regulation of stem cells lineage commitment and differentiationÌý

  • Differentiation of adult and plutipotent stem cells with nanotopographyÌý

  • Fabrication and application of nano-structure for biomedical applications in neuralÌý

  • Vascular and cornea tissue engineeringÌý

  • Biomaterial approach to study ex-vivo pluripotent stem cell expansionÌý


General fields of application of the research programs include:

  • Regenerative medicineÌý

  • Biomedical Materials or Biomaterials engineeringÌý

  • Tissue regenerationÌý

  • Cell improvement and replacementÌý

  • Medical implantsÌý