Renato Sam Navarro, PhD
Incoming assistant professor at University of Florida
I am a first-generation and non-traditional student from Guadalajara, Mexico. Before pursuing a formal education, I undertook a career in the military that sparked my passion for engineering and regenerative medicine. I began my higher education at San Antonio Community College before moving to St. Mary’s University, where I majored in Biochemistry. After receiving an M.S. in Chemistry at Texas State University – San Marcos, I attended the University of Michigan, earning a Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science and Engineering. Currently, I am an NIH NHLBI K99/R00 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Heilshorn Biomaterials Group at Stanford University.
​
My research interests lie at the intersection of chemistry and materials engineering to advance cardiovascular health. My goal is to implement sustainable chemistries for developing new biomaterials systems serving a range of biomedical applications, from delivering therapeutics in vivo to modeling cardiovascular disease in vitro.
​
My lab will be launching Jan. 2025 at the University of Florida, Materials Science & Engineering!