Hello and welcome! I’m Dr. Vidhika Damani, a materials scientist, artist, and inventor. I am passionate about applying the fundamentals of materials chemistry towards developing new platforms for bioengineering and sustainability. The novelty and high research impact of my work is demonstrated by 2 patent applications in conductive hydrogels and polymer electrolytes, in addition to several manuscripts published, submitted, or in-preparation. Besides fundamental materials research, I am also passionate about science communication, art, and mentoring the next generation of scientists.
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. My work in the labs of Prof. Adrianne Rosales and Prof. Keith Keitz revolves around bridging the gap between polymer chemistry and synthetic biology, by developing engineered living materials based on dynamic covalent gels.
I did my PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Delaware, from the lab of Prof. Laure Kayser. During my PhD, I worked on novel thermo-responsive block polyelectrolytes, as proteoglycan replacements for osteoarthritis treatment and as templates for conductive and stimuli-responsive hydrogels. My research on the design and characterization of stimuli-responsive PEDOT:PSS, a conductive polyelectrolyte complex, has led to the development of the first reversibly gellable conducting polymer (patent pending). These materials have excellent potential for use in injectable bioelectronics, 3D bioprinting, and conductive microbe-electrode interfaces. I have presented this work at the prestigious ACS Eastman Chemical Award for Applied Polymer Science symposium, the 2023 Bioelectronics Gordon Research Conference and the 2024 Asilomar Bioelectronics Conference.
I am also a freelancing artist and publish my work on Instagram, under the name of ‘An Artsy Engineer’.
Dr. Vidhika Damani 