John Fisher

Biography

Dr. John P. Fisher is the Sabey Family Director of the Bioengineering & Life Sciences Initiative and the Arthur J. Schmitt Professor in the Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. Fisher completed a B.S. in biomedical and chemical engineering at The Johns Hopkins University (1995), an M.S. in chemical engineering at the University of Cincinnati (1998), a Ph.D. in bioengineering at Rice University (2003), and a postdoctoral fellowship in cartilage biology and engineering at the University of California, Davis (2003).

As the Director of the Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory, Fisher’s group investigates biomaterials, stem cells, bioprinting, and bioreactors for regenerating lost tissues, particularly bone, cartilage, and cardiovascular tissues. Initially, the laboratory developed a novel class of biodegradable polymers. The laboratory utilized these and other polymer systems (both natural and synthetic) to create biomimetic environments for cell culture and to critically demonstrate the relationship between the cell microenvironment and endogenous protein signaling expression. Recent research focuses on developing a novel perfusion bioreactor for dynamic cell culture and strategies for 3D printing various engineered materials and tissues.

Fisher’s laboratory has published over 250 works (books, book chapters, articles, proceedings, and editorials) that are associated with 21,000+ citations (80+ h-index), as well as delivered 40+ invited and contributed presentations while utilizing approximately $25+M in financial support from NIH, ARPA-H, NSF, FDA, NIST, DoD, and other institutions. Fisher has advised over 10 postdoctoral fellows / assistant research professors, 30 doctoral students, 5 master’s students, and 140 undergraduate researchers. Students in the laboratory have received several awards and honors, including national honors such as the Fulbright Fellowship, NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship, NSF Graduate Fellowship, and TERMIS Outstanding Graduate Student Researcher. Fisher founded and led an NIH P41 Biomedical Technology Resource Center (CECT), has led or had a leadership role in 6 NIH R01 projects and 1 ARPA-H project, and has twice led an NSF REU site in collaboration with the US Food & Drug Administration.

Fisher has been elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2012), the Biomedical Engineering Society (2016), the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (2020), and the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (2024). In 2023, Fisher was elected chair of the Council of Chairs (CoC), an assembly of 150+ biomedical engineering / bioengineering department chairs throughout the United States and beyond; Fisher served as the chair of the CoC in 2026.

Fisher has received the Clemson Award for Contributions to the Literature from the Society For Biomaterials (2020), the Senior Scientist Award from the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society - Americas (TERMIS-AM) Chapter (2017), a Fulbright Fellowship to study at the National University of Ireland, Galway (2015), the Next Power Professorship from Tsing Hua University in Taiwan (2015), the Engalitcheff Award from the Arthritis Foundation (2008), the Outstanding Graduate Alumnus Award from the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University (2007), the Arthritis Foundation’s Investigator Award (2006), and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2005).

Fisher is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Tissue Engineering while also editing 6 texts in the field of tissue engineering. In 2014, Fisher was the Chair of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society - Americas (TERMIS-AM) Chapter Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Also, in 2014, Fisher was elected President of TERMIS-AM and, in 2018, began a three-year term as Chair of the Chapter after serving three years as Chair-Elect. In 2018, Fisher served as Chair of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, celebrating BMES's 50^th Anniversary.

Fisher previously served as a Distinguished University Professor, MPower Professor, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, and Chair of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland. As department chair from 2016 to 2026, he led a rapidly growing department of approximately 25 tenured/tenure-track faculty, 450 undergraduate students, and 125 graduate students. Under his leadership, the department expanded its academic programs, research portfolio, faculty, infrastructure, and external partnerships, while establishing new programs, centers, and collaborations with the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Fisher currently holds the rank of Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland.