Jessica M. Gluck

Bio

Dr. Jessica M. Gluck works in the area of tissue engineering, specifically studying how the microenvironment influences cellular differentiation and function. She received her BS in Textile Technology (2005) and MS in Biomedical Textiles (2007) from NC State University. She received her MS in Biomedical Engineering (2008) and PhD in Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology (2013) from UCLA, which was supported by a predoctoral fellowship in vascular biology (NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA). She was a postdoctoral fellow for three years at the University of California, Davis in the Cardiovascular Medicine division of the Internal Medicine Department working on developing a biopacemaker using biomaterials and stem cells. Her postdoctoral work was supported by fellowships in Stem Cell Biology (CIRM) and Cardiovascular Medicine (NIH F32). Following her postdoctoral work, she worked on a short-term grant-funded contract position with Discovery Place Science, a science center in Charlotte, NC, to develop the content and curriculum of their new human health-focused exhibit and teaching classroom. Prior to joining the NC State faculty in August 2019, she was a research scientist at Precise Bio, a biotech startup focusing on 3D bioprinting corneal tissue located in Winston Salem, NC.

Currently, her research focuses on how the microenvironment influences cellular differentiation and function. She is continuing her research into cardiac tissue engineering using electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds and human induced pluripotent stem cells. She is also investigating tissue engineering strategies to combat limbal stem cell deficiency to treat vision loss. Both areas of research involve scaffold/substrate fabrication and characterization, as well as evaluating the cell-material interaction and cellular function. Additionally, her group has been working with the application pf anti-pathogen treatments on textile surfaces as well as evaluation of their efficacy. Science communication and community outreach are very important to her and she hopes to continue volunteer work with local museums and area schools to encourage K-12 students to enter STEM fields. In addition to her appointment in Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science, she is also an affiliate member of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. She currently serves as the Director of Education and Training for the NC State Comparative Medicine Institute and is the co-lead for the GOHA research focus area of Infectious Diseases.