Dr. Caymen Novak received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Oakland University and her master’s and PhD degrees in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Her postdoctoral research took place at The Ohio State University in the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Novak’s research focus on the mechanical microenvironment of fibrosis and how it influences the cell-cell interactions between stromal and immune components. Utilizing bioreactor designs and 3D model systems her lab studies the development and progression of fibrosis within the pulmonary and tumor microenvironments with a specific focus on sex as a biological variable. Dr. Novak’s technical expertise include: characterization and construction of 3D microenvironments, bioreactor design, pulmonary and tumor cell culture and mechanotransduction investigations. She is a recipient of the F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award, the Momental Foundation Mistletoe Fellowship, the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Marian Sarah Parker Prize, and the Richard F. and Eleanor A. Towner Prize for Distinguished Academic Achievement.

Education

Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2020

Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2015

Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering, Oakland University, 2014

Research

Research Areas: Mechanotransduction, biomaterials, 3D tissue culture, bioreactor design and fabrication, cancer, pulmonary fibrosis

Michigan Expert (MExpert) Profile