He received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree in chemical engineering and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Iowa in 2006. In 2010, he earned his doctorate in chemical engineering from Iowa State University. Subsequently, he spent two years conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Connecticut Health Center and another two years at the University of Chicago before joining the MU faculty. As director of the Biomodulatory Materials Engineering Laboratory, he leads a team of researchers focused on the design, development and production of novel biomaterials for a variety of biomedical applications primarily in the fields of immunology and regenerative medicine.