Research
interests: 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
Biography
Elisabeth started her education at the University of Toronto, where she received her undergraduate degree in Biological Chemistry. In 2021 she received her Ph.D. in Polymer and Materials Chemistry from the University of Toronto under the supervision of Professor Eugenia Kumacheva. During her Ph.D., 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.
After completing her Ph.D., she was an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow in Professor Jeremiah Johnson’s synthetic polymer chemistry group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she pivoted her research interests towards addressing the plastic waste crisis. She developed new chemistry for recycling vinylic plastics and thermosets during her time at MIT.
At the University of Waterloo, Elisabeth’s group will build on her polymer and materials science expertise to design the molecular architecture of polymer networks, including hydrogels, elastomers, and thermosets. They will develop biomimetic hydrogels for applications in tissue engineering and in-vitro modeling of disease. They will also develop new tools for addressing the global plastic waste crisis.
Education
- 2021, Doctorate, Polymer and Materials Chemistry, University of Toronto
- 2016, Honours Bachelor of Science, Biological Chemistry Specialist, University of Toronto