Department of Biomaterials: Spotlight

Dr. Lukasz Witek's research interests include utilizing 3D printing technologies for biomedical/biomaterial applications. Dr. Witek is an NYU alumnus; he earned his M.S. in Biomaterials Science under the mentorship of Dr. Paulo G. Coelho DDS, PhD in 2011. Dr. Witek then went on to earn his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Oklahoma State University in 2015, completing his thesis under the guidance of James E. Smay, PhD. His work focused on extrusion-based, three-dimensional printing of bioactive ceramic scaffolds for bone regeneration. After successfully completing and defending his doctoral research, Dr. Witek returned to the Department of Biomaterials at NYU College of Dentistry in the Fall of 2015 to complete his post-doctoral training under his former M.S. thesis advisor, Dr. Coelho. During his postdoctoral fellowship, he also served as Lab Director (2015-2018) for Dr. Coelho’s research group, the Craniomaxillofacial Orthopaedic Biomaterials Regenerative Applications (COBRA) Lab. At the beginning of the Fall 2018 semester, Dr. Witek was hired by the Department of Biomaterials as an Assistant Professor. With the addition of Dr. Witek to the faculty, the department is planning to further expand its 3D printing capacity and technology, not only within the department but university-wide as well. Dr. Witek has always considered the Department of Biomaterials, as well as NYU, his second home and with this next step in his career he will be able to help guide and mentor the next generation of M.S. graduate students.