Vickie Webster-Wood
Affiliate Members
Vickie Webster-Wood is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, where she holds courtesy appointments in Biomedical Engineering, The Robotics Institute, and Materials Science and Engineering. She is the director of the CMU Biohybrid and Organic Robotics Group (B.O.R.G.). In her laboratory, Webster-Wood leads research thrusts to (1) use robotic models to study neuromuscular systems, and (2) use biologically derived materials to create sustainable, biodegradable, adaptable robots.
Through these interdisciplinary efforts, the B.O.R.G. is advancing tissue engineering research by creating biomanufacturing systems, studying force enhancement in engineered skeletal muscle, and uncovering principles of neuromuscular control. Lab members develop novel models of closed-loop neuromuscular control and biomechanics, interrogate model gaps for demand-driven complexity improvement, engineer new biomanufacturing tools and design pipelines, engineer functional, durable skeletal muscle-based actuators and are investigating biocomputing with living neurons. Webster-Wood’s group is particularly interested in improving the force capabilities, longevity, and controllability of engineered muscle tissue towards applications in injury repair and robotics.
Webster-Wood completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in the Tissue Fabrication and Mechanobiology Lab. During her postdoc, Dr. Webster-Wood was supported by the T32 Training Grant in Musculoskeletal Research. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the same institution as an N.S.F. Graduate Research Fellow in the Biologically Inspired Robotics Lab. Her work has been recognized by numerous awards and competitive grants. She received the NSF CAREER Award in 2021 and leads the SSymBioTIC MURI. She is also a co-PI of the N.S.F. NeuroNex Network on Communication, Coordination, and Control in Neuromechanical Systems (C3NS) and has received numerous additional awards, including recognition as one of MIT Technology Reviews 35 Innovators under 35 in 2023 and selection for the Grainger National Academies of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering Symposium Class of 2024.