Rate My Professor Carlijn Bouten

Carlijn Bouten is Full Professor of Cell-Matrix Interactions in Cardiovascular Regeneration in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). She heads the Soft Tissue Engineering & Mechanobiology research group and leads the Research Center for Materials-Driven Regeneration (MDR), a partnership between TU/e, Maastricht University, Utrecht University, University Medical Center Utrecht, and the Hubrecht Institute. Bouten earned her MSc degree in 1991 from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in Human Movement Sciences, with training in functional anatomy, biomechanics, and muscle physiology, and her PhD degree in 1995 from TU/e. She performed postdoctoral research at Université Laval in Quebec, University of London, and TU/e. Her academic career at TU/e started in 1998 as Assistant Professor in Cellular Biomechanics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, progressed to Associate Professor of Tissue Engineering in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2002, and reached Full Professor in 2010.

Bouten's research centers on the interplay between living cells and mechanobiological cues from the extracellular matrix during tissue growth, adaptation, degeneration, and regeneration, employing living model systems at scales from cells to native tissues. She applies this knowledge to engineer regenerative solutions for cardiovascular tissues, including synthetic biodegradable heart valve prostheses that enable in vivo formation of living valves, hybrid implantable organs, and minimally invasive approaches for heart repair. She coordinates prominent consortia such as the NWO Gravitation programme Materials-Driven Regeneration since 2017, the SUMMIT DRIVE-RM programme, RegMed-XB Cardiac Moonshot and Kidney Moonshot, and international efforts like FET-OPEN Hybrid Heart and MCSA-ITN STINTS. With over 300 publications in ISI journals and 16 book chapters, key works include "A triaxial accelerometer and portable data processing unit for the assessment of daily physical activity" (1997) and "Experimental investigation of collagen waviness and orientation in the arterial adventitia using confocal laser scanning microscopy" (2012). Her accolades encompass the NWO Aspasia Career Development Award (2002), VICI grant (2003), KNAW Young Academy membership (2005-2010), KNAW election (2017), and ERC Advanced Grant (2022). She holds leadership positions including board member of ZonMw, Vice President of the International Heart Valve Society, and member of the KNAW Council for Medical Sciences.