Dena Shahriari

Dena Shahriari is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia's School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME). She holds additional affiliations with the International Collaborations on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) and the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS). Her research bridges materials science, electrical engineering, and medicine to develop innovative solutions for healthcare challenges.

Dr. Shahriari received her BS in Bioengineering from the University of California Berkeley, followed by a PhD in Macromolecular Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Bioelectronics Laboratory under Professor Polina Anikeeva, working with both the Research Laboratory of Electronics and the McGovern Brain Institute.

Her research focuses on developing neuroelectronic devices, sensors, and smart biomaterials to interface with biological tissues for tissue regeneration and organ augmentation. Key areas include smart biomaterials, neural interfaces, biosensors, tissue regeneration, and organ augmentation, with specific research themes in cellular & molecular engineering and human interfacing devices. The BioAugmentative Interfaces Laboratory she leads at ICORD creates advanced interfaces between biological systems and electronic devices for therapeutic applications.

Analysis of Dr. Shahriari's publication record reveals a consistent focus on neural interfaces and biomaterials for tissue regeneration, with her most recent work (2023-2025) showing increasing incorporation of artificial intelligence techniques in medical imaging and diagnostics while maintaining her core expertise in biomaterials engineering. Her research spans from fundamental biomaterials development to clinical applications, with particular emphasis on nerve repair scaffolds with microchannel structures, optoelectronic neural interfaces, and smart biomaterials for organ augmentation.

Dr. Shahriari actively mentors a diverse research team including PhD candidates Shahriar Shalileh (UBC Four Year Fellowship Awardee) and Elham Mohseni Vadeghani (Faculty of Medicine 2024 Graduate Student Awardee), Master's student Adan Moallemi (CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship awardee), PhD student Milad Yazdani, and numerous undergraduate researchers. Alumni from her lab have pursued medical school, industry positions, and further graduate studies at institutions like EPFL.

The BioAugmentative Interfaces Laboratory is situated within UBC's newly opened purpose-built biomedical engineering facility, positioning Dr. Shahriari's research at the forefront of Canada's efforts to advance health solutions and grow the biotech sector through collaborative research across engineering, medicine, and biology.