Dr. Jeroen Rouwkema

Biography

Jeroen Rouwkema is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomechanical Engineering at the University of Twente. He obtained his doctoral degree at the University of Twente under the supervision of Professor Clemens van Blitterswijk. Rouwkema has worked in prestigious laboratories, including a six-month stint in the lab of Professor Robert Langer at MIT in the USA. He was also appointed as a Visiting Researcher at Harvard Medical School, working within the group of Professor Ali Khademhosseini. His research primarily focuses on the development of cardiac tissue, particularly the inclusion of vascular structures. Adding vascular networks to engineered tissues is a promising method that enhances tissue integration and survival upon implantation. Rouwkema's lab concentrates on developing novel bioengineering technologies such as 3D bioprinting and growth factor patterning technology, which allows for the combination of multiple cellular environments into a single tissue construct. His lab also develops computational models to predict tissue development based on mechanical and chemical micro-environments, along with micro-bioreactor systems to understand the effects of various signals on cell behavior. He has received several prestigious awards and fellowships, including a VENI fellowship from NWO and a European Research Council Consolidator grant.

Research Interests