Shayn Peirce-Cottler, Ph.D.
About
Shayn Peirce-Cottler develops computational models and combines them with wet lab experiments and machine learning to study how tissues heal after injury and to develop new therapies for inducing tissue regeneration. Her lab is particularly focused on engineering the body's smallest blood vessels -- microvessels, or capillaries -- that are necessary for delivering oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body. Dr. Peirce-Cottler teaches courses in cell and molecular physiology and computational systems bioengineering to undergraduate and graduate students. She has published over 125 peer reviewed papers and book chapters, and she is an inventor on three U.S. Patents. She is a fellow in both the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows (AIMBE) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). She is also Past-President of The Microcirculatory Society. Dr. Peirce-Cottler is a UVA School of Medicine Pinn Scholar, and in 2020 she was awarded the UVA School of Medicine’s Robert H. Kader Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring. Dr. Peirce-Cottler is passionate about mentoring students and faculty, promoting diversity in STEM, and participating in K-12 outreach to increase students’ interest and self-confidence in pursuing STEM careers.
Education
B.S. Johns Hopkins University, 1997
Ph.D. University of Virginia, 2002
Post-Doc University of Virginia, 2004
Our research aims to address a critical bottleneck for all of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine: growing new functional and sustainable microvessels that can deliver blood to the tissues that we are trying to heal, replace, and protect from disease.
Research Interests
Selected Publications
Courses Taught
Awards
Featured Grants & Projects
Solving Problems in Medicine, Starting With the Smallest Blood Vessels
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Cool School: Buford Biomedical Investigators Connect Learning to Active Research
Read NowMiddle school is a time of figuring out who you are and what interests you. Two UVA biomedical engineering Ph.D. students built an afterschool program to tap the engineer within.
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Innovative Research Earns Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Coveted Scholarship
Read NowPrestigious Goldwater Scholarships award top U.S. undergraduates up to $7,500 per year in academic support in addition to tuition and fees.
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Podcast: Dr. Shayn Peirce-Cottler on How Diabetes and Alzheimer's Diseases Impacts the Smallest Blood Vessels
Read NowDr. Peirce-Cottler develops computational models and combines them with wet lab experiments to study how tissues heal after injury and to develop therapies for inducing tissue regeneration.