Biomaterials and tissue engineering

Professor Yimin Wu is the inaugural Tang Family Chair in New Energy Materials and Sustainability. 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 Waterloo and serves on the board of directors in Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. 

Veronika Magdanz has been an Assistant Professor in Systems Design Engineering since 2022 focusing on Biomedical 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. 

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. 

Hamed Shahsavan is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Before joining University of Waterloo 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. 

Evelyn Yim is experienced with nanofabrication technologies and stem cell culture. Evelyn and her Regenerative Nanomedicine Lab 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. 

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 Waterloo. 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. 

Dr. Slavcev’s 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. 

Professor Willett’s research interests concern the mechanics and engineering of skeletal biomaterials and tissues.  

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. 

Maud Gorbet’s 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.