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
Abhishek Sharma
Ph.D. Student
Mechanical Engineering
abhisheksharma@ucsb.edu
Jane Baude
Ph.D. Student
Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology
janebaude@ucsb.edu
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
Christian Catano
Ph.D. Student
Bioengineering
ccatano@ucsb.edu
Karlee Macaw
M.S. Student
Mechanical Engineering
karleemacaw@ucsb.edu
Maitri Patel | Undergraduate Student
Lab Alumni
Ian Tayler | Ph.D. Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Philip Crandell | M.S. Mechanical Engineering
Gulistan Tansik | Postdoc