Evelyn Yim, PhD, PEng

Evelyn Yim joined the Department of Chemical Engineering as an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo in 2016. Experienced with nanofabrication technologies and stem cell culture, Evelyn and her Regenerative Nanomedicine Lab group are interested to apply the knowledge 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.

Evelyn Yim began her education at the University of Toronto, where she earned her BASc in Engineering Science and MASc in Chemical Engineering, under the supervision of Professor Michael Sefton. She pursued her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University before conducting her post-doctoral training at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and, under Professor Kam Leong, in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University.

Between 2007 and 2015 Evelyn worked in Singapore, where she held a joint appointment from the National University of Singapore, as faculty in the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Surgery, and the Mechanobiology Institute Singapore, a Research Center of Excellence supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore, as a principle investigator studying how chemical and biomechanical cues influence stem cell behavior.

• Modulation of cell behaviour with nanotopography, Topography-regulation of stem cells lineage commitment and differentiation, Differentiation of adult and plutipotent stem cells with nanotopography, Fabrication and application of nano-structure for biomedical applications in neural, vascular and cornea tissue engineering, Biomaterial approach to study ex-vivo pluripotent stem cell expansion, Nanotechnology, Biochemical engineering, Biomedical engineering

• 2006, Doctorate Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA
• 2000, Master of Engineering Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada
• 1999, Bachelor of Applied Science Engineering Science, University of Toronto, Canada

• BME 489 - Special Topics in Biomedical Devices
  • Taught in 2019, 2020, 2021
• BME 589 - Special Topics in Biomedical Devices
  • Taught in 2022, 2024
• CHE 161 - Engineering Biology
  • Taught in 2020
• CHE 241 - Materials Science and Engineering
  • Taught in 2021
• CHE 500 - Special Topics in Chemical Engineering
  • Taught in 2021
• CHE 561 - Biomaterials and Biomedical Design
  • Taught in 2022, 2024
• NE 481 - Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology
  • Taught in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023
• NE 488 - Biomaterials and Biomedical Design
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2024
• NE 489 - Special Topics in Nanoscale Biosystems
  • Taught in 2019, 2020
• SYDE 584 - Physiological Systems and Biomedical Design
  • Taught in 2022

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Yao, Yuan; Zaw, Aung Moe; Anderson, Deirdre EJ; Jeong, YeJin; Kunihiro, Joshua; Hinds, Monica T; Yim, Evelyn KF;. Fucoidan and topography modification improved endothelialization on acellular synthetic vascular grafts. Bioactive Materials. 22, 535-550. 2022
• Mattiassi, Sabrina; Conner, Abigail A; Feng, Fan; Goh, Eyleen LK; Yim, Evelyn KF;. The Combined Effects of Topography and Stiffness on Neuronal Differentiation and Maturation Using a Hydrogel Platform. Cells, 12 (6), 934. 2023
• Yao, Yuan; Pohan, Grace; Cutiongco, Marie FA; Jeong, YeJin; Kunihiro, Joshua; Zaw, Aung Moe; David, Dency; Shangguan, Hanyue; Alfred, CH; Yim, Evelyn KF;. In vivo evaluation of compliance mismatch on intimal hyperplasia formation in small diameter vascular grafts. Biomaterials Science. 11(9), 3297-3307, 2023.
• Mattiassi, Sabrina; Rizwan, Muhammad; Grigsby, Christopher L; Zaw, Aung Moe; Leong, Kam W; Yim, Evelyn KF. Enhanced efficiency of nonviral direct neuronal reprogramming on topographical patterns. Biomaterials Science. 9, 5175-5191. 2021.
• Yao Y, Yim EKF. The development of fucoidan in cardiovascular application and the factors mediating its activities. Carbohydrate Polymers. 270, 118347. 2021
• Kukumberg, Marek; Zaw, Aung Moe; Wong, Daniel HC; Toh, Chin Min; Chan, Bernard PL; Seet, Raymond; Wong, Peter TH; Yim, Evelyn KF. Characterization and functional assessment of endothelial progenitor cells in ischemic stroke patients. Stem Cell Reviews and Report. 1-16. 2021. ^co-first authors
• Tse, John W and Rizwan, Muhammad and Rasmussen, Jonathan and Jones, Lyndon and Yim, Evelyn KF, Gelatin Methacrylate as an Enzyme-Controlled Release Vehicle of Hyaluronic Acid for the Treatment of Recurrent Corneal Erosion, ACS Applied Bio Materials, 6214, 2020
• Yao, Yuan and Zaw, Aung Moe and Anderson, Deirdre EJ and Hinds, Monica T and Yim, Evelyn KF, Fucoidan functionalization on poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogels for improved endothelialization and hemocompatibility, Biomaterials, 120011, 2020
• Jeong, YeJin and Yao, Yuan and Yim, Evelyn KF, Current understanding of intimal hyperplasia and effect of compliance in synthetic small diameter vascular grafts, Biomaterials Science, 4383, 2020
• Arora, Seep and Lin, Shiming and Cheung, Christine and Yim, Evelyn KF and Toh, Yi-Chin, Topography elicits distinct phenotypes and functions in human primary and stem cell derived endothelial cells, Biomaterials, 119747, 2020

• Faculty researchers awarded $900K from government
• Chemical engineering professors named University Research Chairs