Christopher Chen, MD, PhD

Perfecting the intersection of engineering and science to create breakthroughs that will make the world a healthier place

Christopher S. Chen, MD, PhD, is the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University, the highest distinction bestowed upon senior faculty members at Boston University. He is also the Founding Director of the Biological Design Center, Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center in Cellular Metamaterials, and member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.

In 2020, Dr. Chen and Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia, along with their PhD student, Dr. Arnav Chhabra, founded Satellite Bio based on their shared desire to engineer cells and materials together to form a synthetic tissue that can be used to implant and replace damaged tissue function, defining the future of Tissue Therapeutics.

Chen has been an instrumental figure in the development of engineered cellular microenvironments to understand and control how cells build tissues. His group pioneered the use of micro- and nanofabrication technologies to advance the engineering of stem cells and tissue vascularization.

He has served, or is currently serving, as a member of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Faculty of 1000, the Defense Sciences Study Group and on numerous advisory boards and councils. He is a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society and was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Chen received his AB in Biochemistry from Harvard, MS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and PhD in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics from the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program. He earned his MD from the Harvard Medical School.