Professor
University of Connecticut
Syam Nukavarapu is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the School of Engineering. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, UConn, and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UConn Health. He received a Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science, India and held post-doctoral positions at Lehigh University, PA, and University of Virginia, VA. He leads the Tissue Engineering Science and Technology Laboratory (TEST Lab), and his research interests lie at the interface of biomaterials design, tissue engineering, and technology development. Over the years, his laboratory has gained expertise and popularity in studying and developing biomaterials and engineered graft systems to control cellular function for simple as well as complex tissue engineering applications.
Dr. Nukavarapu has authored over eighty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, more than seventy proceedings and invited presentations, and three patents. He co-edited a textbook on tissue engineering, MRS symposium proceedings on bioinspired materials and structures, and a special issue on the future of biomaterials. Dr. Nukavarapu serves on the editorial boards of major journals in the field, including Biomaterials, Bioactive Materials, and Tissue Engineering. He has been an active member of BMES, SFB, and MRS, and led/participated in several scholarly, educational, and mentorship sessions and activities. He has been recipient of numerous research and teaching awards and honors which include member-elect of Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, Distinguished Engineering Educator Award, Castleman Professorship in Engineering Innovation, and AAUP Teaching Excellence Award.