Dr. Mary Farach Carson

Biography

Cindy Farach-Carson, PhD, is an active researcher managing a federally and industry-funded laboratory focused on tissue engineering and extracellular matrix cancer biology. She is a pioneer in using complex 3D systems for cell microtissue culture of normal and cancerous tissues. Author of more than 200 publications and co-editor of a seven-volume series, Topics in Bone Biology, she serves as a reviewer for grant applications and journal articles. Cindy has mentored dozens of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in interdisciplinary translational research and has hosted hundreds of trainees for research rotations. She teaches in traditional lecture and problem-based formats and believes that teachers should share their passion for learning and discovery with students. With 11 years of experience as faculty at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Dentistry, Cindy initially left in 1998 to join the University of Delaware as a professor in biological and materials sciences. As the founding director of the Center for Translational Cancer Research since 2005, she has united four institutions and hospitals to focus on accelerating the translation of cancer research findings into clinical applications. Cindy returned to Rice University in 2009 to provide scientific leadership and vision for the BioScience Research Collaborative, fostering a climate of interdisciplinary translational research and innovation. In 2014, she became a strategic advisor for the Texas Medical Center and rejoined the UTHealth School of Dentistry faculty in 2016 as director of clinical and translational research and professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences. Her current projects include building collaborations and supporting infrastructure for biomedical research across the School of Dentistry and the Texas Medical Center.

Research Interests