Principal Investigator
Ryan Stowers | Assistant Professor
Ryan Stowers’ research explores how cells interact with and are influenced by the mechanical properties of their environment. These properties regulate a variety of biological processes, such as stem cell differentiation and cancer progression. We engineer novel biomaterials for 3D cell culture to recapitulate key aspects of the cellular microenvironment and use these platforms to understand molecular mechanisms driving cell behavior. We are particularly interested in developing tunable or stimuli-responsive hydrogels to achieve spatial and temporal control of microenvironmental properties.
Lab Members
Ian Tayler | Ph.D. Student
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
iantayler@ucsb.edu
Abhishek Sharma | Ph.D. Student
Mechanical Engineering
abhisheksharma@ucsb.edu
Jane Baude | Ph.D. Student
Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology
janebaude@ucsb.ed
Marissa Gionet-Gonzales | Postdoc
Mechanical Engineering
mgionetgonzales@ucsb.edu
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Gianna Gathman | Ph.D. Student
Bioengineering
ggathman@ucsb.edu
Daniella Walter | Ph.D. Student
Mechanical Engineering
daniellawalter@ucsb.edu
Ella Evensen | Ph.D. Student
Bioengineering
eevensen@ucsb.edu
Maya Papez | Ph.D. Student
Bioengineering
mayapapez@ucsb.edu
Brandon Nguyen | Ph.D. Student
Bioengineering
brandonhnguyen@ucsb.edu
Amy Zhu | Undergraduate Student
Samuel Fong | Undergraduate Student
Maitri Patel | Undergraduate Student
Lab Alumni
Philip Crandell | Graduate Student
Gulistan Tansik | Postdoc