Chris Rylander

Dr. Chris Rylander is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on biomedical engineering solutions for healthcare challenges, particularly in medical device design, biomechanical systems, and thermal/fluid systems. He leads the Medical Device Laboratory, emphasizing translational research to improve patient care and advance engineering education.

Dr. Rylander holds a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UT Austin. He has secured $4.23M in grants from NIH, NSF, and the Wallace Coulter Foundation. His work spans 30 peer-reviewed articles and innovations like neonatal monitoring devices, convection-enhanced drug delivery systems, and laparoscopic cleaning tools. He advises current PhD students and has graduated 4 PhD and 9 MS students.

Key research interests include:

• Medical device prototyping & testing
• Catheter-based drug delivery systems
• Biocompatible material development
• Optical instrumentation for diagnostics

His clinical collaborations focus on neonatal care advancements, brain tumor treatment systems, and improving surgical instrument hygiene. He chairs the Research & Development Committee for the American Society for Lasers in Medicine & Surgery.