Shayn Peirce-Cottler


Shayn 'Peirce-Cottler ' is an American biomedical engineer, Professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia. Her research considers the development computational models and machine learning algorithms to better understand biological systems. She looks to understand how tissues heal after injury and the development of therapies that induce tissue regeneration. She was awarded the Eugene M. Landis Award in 2024.

Early life and education

Peirce-Cottler became interested in biomedical engineering while she was at high school in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Her father was an environmental engineer at Duke University, and she spent her summers in his lab. She was a competitive swimmer, and she studied at Johns Hopkins University. She moved to the University of Virginia for her graduate studies, where she investigated microvascular remodelling.

Research and career

In 2004 Peirce-Cottler joined the faculty at the University of Virginia. Peirce-Cottler combines computational modelling, machine learning and experiments to understand how biological tissue heals after injury. She is particularly interested in the development of strategies to induce tissue regeneration. She studies microvessels, the smallest blood vessels in the body, that deliver oxygen and nutrients. In 2022 she was made Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Awards and honours

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