Aryssa Simpson earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 2020 from the University of South Florida. Currently, she is a third-year PhD student in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and North Carolina State University (NCSU), where she is developing a novel microgel thin film system, in combination with DNA origami, that allows for fine control of mechanics and growth factor receptor patterning to control cell responses in wound healing. Moving forward, she is interested in cellular signaling mechanisms involved with uterine fibroids — a disorder that predominantly affects minority women. In 2022 and 2023, Simpson planned and led a biomedical engineering residential summer camp for local youth, securing more than $10,000 in corporate sponsorships to cover fees for nine URM students. She is the science outreach chair for NCSU’s BME Graduate Student Association, where she is working to expand diversity and minority engagement at UNC and NCSU. In service to Alliances for Graduate Education and Professoriate – NC, she encourages and supports doctoral completion among URMs. As a future engineering faculty member, her goal is to advocate, implement, and encourage diversity, develop courses to provide interactive and equitable engineering education, and open doors for those whose doors are traditionally closed.

Research Interests

Mechanotransduction, Fibrosis (Uterine), 3D In Vitro Systems