Fatima N. Syed

Fatima N. Syed is an Associate Professor in the Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, and a faculty member in the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration. She also serves as Director of Student Research at the School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Syed holds a B.S.E. and M.S.E. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan (2004–2006) and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh (2013). Her postdoctoral training included NIH-funded research in ocular tissue engineering and regenerative ophthalmology.

Research Focus: Dr. Syed’s work centers on scaffold-free tissue engineering using stem cells to regenerate craniofacial tissues, including bone, dentin-pulp complex, and nerve structures. Her lab engineers 3D cellular constructs that self-assemble into spatially organized tissues, leveraging endogenous extracellular matrices. Key applications include regenerative therapies for dental and craniofacial disorders and models to study developmental tissue patterning.

Awards:

• NIH F31 Individual Predoctoral Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (2013)
• NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (2015)

Publications: Over 15 peer-reviewed articles, including work on nerve regeneration, scaffold-free corneal stromal engineering, and cell sheet technologies. Recent studies focus on facial nerve repair using aligned dental pulp stem cell sheets and tooth root organoid formation.

Grants & Collaborations: Active NIH-funded research projects exploring stem cell-driven tissue regeneration and bioengineered solutions for craniofacial defects. Collaborates with the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Carnegie Mellon University on biomaterials and microfluidic systems.