Jenna Shapiro

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Bioprinting and Printed Electronics"

Introduction

Dr Jenna Shapiro is a Research Associate on the EPSRC-funded project ‘Interaction Design with Functional Plastics’, where she is investigating 3D printing techniques for applications in electronics and biomaterials. Jenna completed her PhD as part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health – University of Cambridge Scholars Programme in Engineering, which focused on the utility of hydrogel-based materials as tissue engineering substrates --- in particular, how hydrogel mechanical properties and the Protein Kinase A signalling pathway impact osteogenic differentiation. Jenna earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky, in the US. Jenna’s research interests are based in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. She is passionate about exploring how collaborative work can bridge gaps across distinct academic disciplines to paint more complete and cohesive pictures of biomedical problems, and to create innovative and scientifically sound solutions. Her current aim is to improve the resolution of 3D bioprinting to print microvasculature for tissue engineering scaffolds. Outside of the lab, Jenna enjoys cooking, creative writing, cacti, crocheting, cats, coffee, and alliteration.