Ramkumar T. Annamalai is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo (UB). He did his postdoctoral training Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan. His research interests span both basic and translational research areas. He is also keen on commercializing reconstructive biomaterials and disease-modifying therapeutics and bringing them to market. His unique interdisciplinary training and education help him to engineer innovative biomaterials, disease models, and immunomodulatory therapies. Dr. Annamalai has been an active member of several academic committees and is committed to teaching and academic service. He is a reviewer in various peer-reviewed journals and serves in journal editorial boards and study sections (NSF (BMMB) and NIH (BMBI)). Also, he serves as faculty mentor for the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and the Society for Biomaterials (SFB) student chapters.

The overarching goal of Dr. Annamalai’s research program is to understand the role of immune cells, senescent cells, and matrix mechanics in tissue regeneration and regulate them by engineering immunomodulatory and disease-modifying strategies to restore musculoskeletal tissues impaired by diseases, trauma, and aging. To this end, they work to 1) elucidate immune dysregulation and develop immunomodulatory biomaterials to repair musculoskeletal tissues, 2) study the influence of soft matrix mechanics on immune cell phenotype and function, 3) study the mechanobiology of macrophages and modulate their phenotype towards healing, and 4) develop immunomodulatory strategies and immune-responsive delivery vehicles for tissue regeneration. His research lab is currently supported by research grants through NIAMS R21 and NIGMS COBRE mechanisms