Dr. Jonathan Brunger is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining the faculty at Vanderbilt, Jonathan earned his B.S. in Engineering at Stanford University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Duke University before undertaking postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco. The goals of his independent research program are to (1) produce strategies to render cells capable of reliably and robustly restoring organ/tissue function and (2) develop high fidelity models of human tissues as a source for investigating developmental and degenerative disorders. To achieve these aims, his lab constructs synthetic signaling modules to allow cells to interrogate specific features of their niche and autonomously implement selected phenotypic switches, morphogenetic programs, or regenerative subroutines. His team also deploys genome/epigenome editing systems to manipulate and dissect signaling networks. Though Brunger Lab approaches and technologies can be applied somewhat agnostically to several physiologic systems, the lab leverages deep expertise and rich collaborations to focus efforts in the areas of neurodegeneration and musculoskeletal diseases. Dr. Brunger is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, the Rising Star Award from the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering special interest group of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Judy E. Green Valiant Women Fellowship from the Arthritis National Research Foundation, the New Investigator Recognition Award from the Orthopaedic Research Society, and the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Service Research Postdoctoral Fellowship. His fondest professional moments entail sharing in the successes of his trainees, which include occasional and hard-won experimental breakthroughs, fellowships from NSF and NIH, travel and presentation awards, and upward mobility to ever higher positions in both academia and industry. For more, visit .