Shyni Varghese, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, and Orthopaedics Surgery at Duke University. She is the inaugural MEDx Investigator at Duke University. Prior to moving to Duke, she was a Professor of Bioengineering at University of California, San Diego. Dr. Varghese’s research covers a broad range of topics including stem cells, biomaterials, biologically inspired systems, and regenerative medicine. Examples of ongoing research activities in her laboratory involve developing functional biomaterials such as self-healing hydrogels and biomineralized matrices; technologies to improve cell-based therapies including stem-cell differentiation, cell transplantation, activating endogenous stem cells, and engineered functional tissue grafts; and organ-on-a-chip technologies. She is currently serving as an Associate Editor of Biomaterials Science (an RSC journal).