Ryan Stowers’s research explores how cells interact with and are influenced by the mechanical properties of their environment. These properties regulate a variety of biological processes, such as stem cell differentiation and cancer progression. We engineer novel biomaterials for 3D cell culture to recapitulate key aspects of the cellular microenvironment and use these platforms to understand molecular mechanisms driving cell behavior. We are particularly interested in developing tunable or stimuli-responsive hydrogels to achieve spatial and temporal control of microenvironmental properties.