(4gl) Post-Doc Candidate: Leveraging Biomaterials for the Advancement of Women's Reproductive Health Research

The tissue engineering and biomaterials skills learned during my PhD have provided a foundation in materials design and engineering to model a variety of human health challenges. I am interested in applying my skills to projects that address challenges in women’s reproductive health. Back in 2019, I had the opportunity to attend the Frontiers in Reproduction (FIR) intensive training course focusing on reproductive biology and have since fostered a collaboration with a urogynecology surgeon, Dr. Monique Vaughan (UVA health system), to develop a rat model for pelvic organ prolapse repair. I have chosen to pursue the academic career path and so I hope to find a lab in which I can grow as both a researcher and a future faculty. Due to opportunities at UVA, I have been fortunate to gain teaching experiences as a graduate student including guest lectures, serving as a TA, and I was recently selected for a co-teaching fellowship under which I will co-teach Material and Energy balances to sophomore level chemical engineering students. Further teaching experience during my post-doc experience would be ideal, but is second to expanding my knowledge in women’s reproductive health. I am looking for experience within the women’s reproductive tract specifically so I can build on my graduate experience by applying my tissue engineering knowledge to reproductive tissue microenvironments.