Joseph W. Freeman

Joseph W. Freeman, Ph.D., is a Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers University. He directs the Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration (MoTR) Laboratory, which specializes in tissue engineering approaches for musculoskeletal repair, cancer biology, and collagen molecular modeling. His research bridges biomaterials development, scaffold design, and regenerative medicine for clinical applications.

Education:
• Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (2003)
• B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University

Research Focus:
Dr. Freeman's work spans musculoskeletal tissue regeneration, tumor engineering, and biomolecular mechanics. Key areas include:

• Design of 3D-printed and electrospun scaffolds for bone, ligament, and muscle regeneration
• Molecular modeling of collagen structural dynamics and mineralization
• Development of tumor microenvironment models for cancer therapy testing
• Innovations in hydrogel-based actuating materials for tissue repair

Awards & Honors:

• Ford Foundation Fellow
• NIH Training Program Fellow
• Invited Speaker at Materials Research Society (MRS) Meeting
• Johnson & Johnson Graduate Fellow
• New Jersey Center-Whitaker for Biomaterials Fellow
• Featured in Rutgers Biomedical Engineering Brochure

Teaching & Advising: As Graduate Program Director, he has taught biomechanics, physiology, and tissue engineering courses including Quantitative Physiology and Fundamentals of Tissue Function. His lab focuses on mentoring graduate researchers in scaffold design and regenerative engineering.