Christine Schmidt
Professor
Biomedical Engineering
Laurence E. McMakin Jr. Centennial Fellowship in Chemical Engineering
Phone: (512) 471-1690
Fax: (512) 471-7060
Email: schmidt@che.utexas.edu
Dr. Christine Schmidt earned her Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1995. She joined the faculty of Cockrell School of Engineering in 1996 and won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 1997.
Dr. Schmidt researches molecular and cellular tissue engineering, focusing on the nervous system. Her research is focused on analyzing and designing biomaterials that can interface with neurons and specifically stimulate and guide nerves to regenerate. She also studies the mechanisms of axon extension so that her research group can more rationally design devices to promote nerve repair. The work will eventually allow the design of better devices to repair damaged peripheral nerves, such as in facial and hand reconstruction or in trauma cases, and could ultimately help regenerate damaged spinal cords.
Research interests:
- Cellular and tissue engineering
- Nervous systems
- Repair of severed nerves
- Materials-neuron interfacing