Associate Professor

Dr. Floreani earned her BS degree in Biomedical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 2004 and her MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University in 2007 and 2009. After two years of post-doctoral work at the University of Washington, she started her position at UVM in 2011.

Dr. Floreani has led interdisciplinary teams at biotech start-ups and in academia. She serves as an advisor to industry partners and female founders around the world. Dr. Floreani has been invited to speak at international conferences, has been interviewed by multiple news outlets, and has served on academic panels related to her research. Her translational research spans the biomedical, materials processing, and cellular agriculture fields, and has culminated in six granted patents, 40+ scientific articles, and an FDA approved implant available on the market. Dr. Floreani collaborates on research and product development across many fields, including tissue engineering, cultivated meat, cell culture media development, anti-cancer therapeutics, drug delivery implants, and wound dressings and tissue sealants. Her other interests include sustainability, biomimicry, and the valorization of agricultural bio-waste. Her mission is focused on generating translatable products that benefit both humankind and the planet.

Dr. Floreani is also committed to community outreach and engineering education. She provides hands on experience in her laboratory to local high school students, and serves as a mentor to female and non-binary K-12 students interested in the STEM fields.

Publications

  1. Patrick Charron, Irfan Tahir, Sierra McConnell, Danielle Sedler, Rachael A. Floreani. Physico Mechanical and Ex Vivo Analysis of Aloe-Alginate Hydrogels for Cervical Cancer Treatment. Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers, 1-20, 2023.
  2. Lydia Axelrod, Patrick Charron, Irfan Tahir, Steven Kostell, Rachael Floreani. The Effect of Pulp Production Times on the Characteristics and Properties of Hemp-Based Paper. Materials Today Communications, 34, 104976, 2023.
  3. Irfan Tahir, Rachael Floreani. Dual-Crosslinked Alginate-Based Hydrogels with Tunable Mechanical Properties for Cultured Meat. Foods, 11, 2829, 2022.
  4. Patrick Charron, Luis Garcia, Irfan Tahir, Rachael A. Floreani. Bio-inspired green light crosslinked alginate-heparin hydrogels support HUVEC tube formation. Journal of Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 2022.
Rachael Floreani

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

Materials customization, tissue engineering, polymer chemistry, food biotechnology

Education

  • M.S. and Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering (Colorado State University)
  • B.S. Biomedical Engineering (Michigan Technological University)

Contact

Office Location:

201D Votey Hall

Office Hours:

By appointment

Website(s):
  1. Lab Website

Courses Taught

  • ME 14 Solid Mechanics
  • ME 101 Materials Science and Engineering
  • ME/BME 201 Biomaterials Science and Engineering
  • ME/BME 204 Biothermodynamics
  • ME/BME 208 Biomechanics: Tissue Engineering
  • ME/BME 395 Biomimicry