Steven R. CaliariView profile
Associate Professor
Steven R. Caliari is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering with a secondary appointment in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. He serves as the ChE Graduate Program Director and is a SEAS Copenhaver Fellow (2023). His research focuses on designing biomaterials to study cell-microenvironment interactions, addressing challenges in disease and tissue engineering. He holds a B.S. (2007, University of Florida), M.S. (2010), and Ph.D. (2013) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois, followed by an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include biomaterials, mechanobiology, musculoskeletal tissue engineering, and advanced manufacturing for biological applications. His lab has pioneered viscoelastic hydrogel platforms and conductive collagen scaffolds, supported by NIH, NSF, DoD, and industry grants. Notable awards include the NSF CAREER Award (2021) and NIH MIRA (2020). Grants: NIH (NIGMS), NSF CAREER, V Foundation, UVA-Coulter Partnership Courses: Tissue Engineering (BME/CHE 4417), Transport Processes I (CHE 3321) Labs: Caliari Lab focuses on biomaterial design and mechanobiological studies His work bridges fundamental science and translational applications, emphasizing dynamic material systems for regenerative medicine and disease modeling.







