Contact
Office
(434) 243-1821
Location
Wilsdorf 204
Lab
Wilsdorf 209

Steven R. Caliari

Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering ChE Graduate Program Director
Contact
Office
(434) 243-1821
Location
Wilsdorf 204
Lab
Wilsdorf 209
Caliari Lab Website Google Scholar

About

Steven joined the faculty of the University of Virginia in August 2016 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering with a secondary appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2022 and named a SEAS Copenhaver Fellow in 2023. Prior to joining UVA he was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Steven completed his B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida and received both his M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

His lab designs, synthesizes, and characterizes new biomaterials to explore the dynamic interplay between cells and their microenvironment, applying these platforms to address fundamental human health challenges in understanding disease and engineering tissues. Steven has received the NIH (NIGMS) Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA), NSF CAREER Award, and was named a Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. His lab is grateful for generous support over the years from the NIH, DoD, NSF, V Foundation, UVA-Coulter Translational Research Partnership, and Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation.

Education

B.S. ​Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, 2007

M.S. ​Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010

Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013

Post-Doc ​Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 2013-2016

"We design biomaterials to better understand the dynamic reciprocity between cells and their environment during disease progression and tissue regeneration."

STEVEN R. CALIARI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Research Interests

Biomaterials
Mechanobiology
Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering
Materials and Advanced Manufacturing for Biological Applications

Selected Publications

'Modular multiwell viscoelastic hydrogel platform for two- and three-dimensional cell culture applications,' ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 10(5): 3280-3292, 2024. M.L. SKELTON, J.L. GENTRY, L.R. ASTRAB, J.A. GOEDERT, E.B. EARL, E.L. PHAM, T. BHAT, S.R. CALIARI
ABS
'Serial passaging affects stromal cell mechanosensitivity on hyaluronic acid hydrogels,' Macromolecular Bioscience, 2300110, 2024. J.L. SUMEY, A.M. HARRELL, P.C. JOHNSTON, S.R. CALIARI
ABS
'Supramolecular fibrous hydrogel augmentation of uterosacral ligament suspension for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse,' Advanced Healthcare Materials, 12(22): 2300086, 2023. B. MILLER, W. WOLFE, J.L. GENTRY, M.G. GREWAL, C.B. HIGHLEY, R. DE VITA, M.H. VAUGHAN**, S.R. CALIARI** (**CO-CORRESPONDING AUTHORS)
ABS
'Hydrogel mechanics regulate fibroblast DNA methylation and chromatin condensation,' Biomaterials Science, 11: 2886-2897, 2023. J.L. SUMEY, P.C. JOHNSTON, A.M. HARRELL, S.R. CALIARI
ABS
'Photoreactive hydrogel stiffness influences volumetric muscle loss repair,' Tissue Engineering Part A, 28(7-8): 312-329, 2022. I.M. BASURTO, J.A. PASSIPIERI, G.M. GARDNER, K.K. SMITH, A.R. AMACHER, A.I. HANSRISUK, G.J. CHRIST**, S.R. CALIARI** (**CO-CORRESPONDING AUTHORS)
ABS
'Aligned and electrically conductive 3D collagen scaffolds for skeletal muscle tissue engineering,' Biomaterials Science, 9(11): 4040-4053, 2021. I.M. BASURTO, M.T. MORA, G.M. GARDNER, G.J. CHRIST, S.R. CALIARI
ABS
'Spatiotemporal control of viscoelasticity in phototunable hyaluronic acid hydrogels,' Biomacromolecules, 20(11): 4126-4134, 2019. E. HUI, K.I. GIMENO, G. GUAN, S.R. CALIARI
ABS

Courses Taught

Tissue Engineering (BME/CHE 4417, CHE 5562/BME 6550) Spring
Transport Processes I: Momentum Transfer (CHE 3321) Fall

Awards

SEAS Copenhaver Fellow 2023
UVA Research Excellence Award 2021
Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering 2021
NSF CAREER Award 2021
NIH (NIGMS) Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) 2020
Robert A. Moore, Jr. Award in Chemical Engineering 2020

In the News

  • Hampton University Chemical Engineering Undergrads Gain Research Experience at UVA Engineering

    An exploratory undergraduate research program establishes a bond between UVA’s and Hampton University’s chemical engineering departments.

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  • Researcher’s Dream

    Steven Caliari knew what the NIH’s Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award for Early-Stage Investigators would mean for his young research program, and the good his science could do.

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