Matthew L Becker

Matthew L Becker is the Hugo L Blomquist Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Duke University, with additional appointments in Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, and Biomedical Engineering. His research focuses on polymer chemistry, bioconjugate chemistry, molecular imaging, additive manufacturing, and degradable materials for bone, soft tissue, neural, and vascular tissue engineering.

• Education: B.S. from Northwest Missouri State University (1998), M.A. (2000) and Ph.D. (2003) from Washington University in St. Louis

Research interests include developing tunable degradable polymers for flexible electronics, tissue engineering (bone, neural, vascular), and additive manufacturing. His group is pioneering 3D printing of bioresorbable medical devices and custom inks for biomaterials.

Recent work explores stereochemistry-dependent polymer properties, mechanochromism, and machine learning-driven biomaterials design. Key applications:

• Drug delivery systems
• Biodegradable adhesives
• Tissue regeneration scaffolds

Scientific honors include:

• Fellow, National Academy of Inventors (2022)
• Fellow, American Chemical Society (2020)
• Carl S. Marvel Award in Creative Polymer Chemistry (2019)
• Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering (2018)
• Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (2017)
• Biomacromolecules/Macromolecules Young Investigator Award (2015)

He teaches advanced courses in mechanical engineering and polymer chemistry, with a focus on 3D printing and biomaterials. His group has developed novel medical devices including resorbable suture anchors, hernia mesh coatings, and neuroprosthetic scaffolds.