Craig A. Simmons

Biography

Craig Simmons is the University of Toronto Distinguished Professor of Mechanobiology in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. He also serves as the Scientific Director of the University of Toronto Translational Biology and Engineering Program in the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research.  Craig received his B.Sc. (Eng.) from the University of Guelph (1991), S.M. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1994), and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (2000). He then completed an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Michigan (2000-2002) and an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania (2002-2004) before returning to the University of Toronto faculty in 2005.  Craig leads a talented group of researchers and students to discover new treatments for heart valve, heart muscle, and blood vessel diseases, including strategies to regenerate cardiovascular tissues using stem cells and biomaterials. His group also creates novel microfluidic platforms to model vascularized tissues and organs for improved drug testing.  Craig was the Canada Research Chair in Mechanobiology from 2006-2016 and is the recipient of numerous research awards, including the Ontario Early Researcher Award, the McCharles Prize and McLean Award from the University of Toronto, the 2015 CP Has Heart Cardiovascular Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the 2017 Professional Engineers of Ontario Research & Development Engineering Medal. He has also been recognized for exceptional teaching by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering with the 2009 Early Career Teaching Award, the 2015 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Teaching Award, and the 2016 Faculty Teaching Award, and with the 2017 Northrop Frye Award awarded by the University of Toronto for excellence in linking teaching and research. Craig Simmons is the University of Toronto Distinguished Professor of Mechanobiology in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. He also serves as the Scientific Director of the University of Toronto Translational Biology and Engineering Program in the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research.  Craig received his B.Sc. (Eng.) from the University of Guelph (1991), S.M. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1994), and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (2000). He then completed an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Michigan (2000-2002) and an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania (2002-2004) before returning to the University of Toronto faculty in 2005.  Craig leads a talented group of researchers and students to discover new treatments for heart valve, heart muscle, and blood vessel diseases, including strategies to regenerate cardiovascular tissues using stem cells and biomaterials. His group also creates novel microfluidic platforms to model vascularized tissues and organs for improved drug testing.  Craig was the Canada Research Chair in Mechanobiology from 2006-2016 and is the recipient of numerous research awards, including the Ontario Early Researcher Award, the McCharles Prize and McLean Award from the University of Toronto, the 2015 CP Has Heart Cardiovascular Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the 2017 Professional Engineers of Ontario Research & Development Engineering Medal. He has also been recognized for exceptional teaching by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering with the 2009 Early Career Teaching Award, the 2015 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Teaching Award, and the 2016 Faculty Teaching Award, and with the 2017 Northrop Frye Award awarded by the University of Toronto for excellence in linking teaching and research.

Research Interest

Biomedical Engineering Applied Mechanics and Design