Stefanie A. Sydlik (S 2007)

Associate Professor, Chemistry

Bio

Prof. Sydlik received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the direction of Professor Timothy Swager studying novel triptycene and nanocarbon based materials. She continued her training at MIT as a postdoctoral fellow with Professor Robert Langer, developing a novel biomimetic block copolymer for cartilage repair and establishing the biocompatibility of graphene oxide. Through her training, she received fellowships from the Beckman Foundation, NSF, and NIH. She joined the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University in August of 2015.

Courtesy appointment:

• Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Education

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012

Research

Keywords: Polymers, graphene oxide, degradability, cell-instructive materials, biomaterials, sustainability, heavy metal remediation

The overarching goal of research in the Sydlik group is to develop chemical methods and materials to improve human health. Research projects focus on structure-function relationships in materials at the border of chemistry and engineering. The team employs chemical reactions and the principles of rational design to synthesize smart biomaterials that can use chemistry to program stem cell fate and the properties of the scaffold. This research leverages organic chemistry to synthesize materials that activate pathways to instruct bone regeneration, filling a void at the interface of engineering and medicine. Specifically, we use two platforms materials: functional graphenic materials (FGMs) and polymers. These materials direct the healing process using two complementary pathways: covalent controlled release through labile bonds designed to react with water to release bioactive moieties in vivo, and instructive surfaces with permanent covalent bonds that anchor instructive molecules at the critical biomaterial interface. Specific ongoing projects are as follows:

Projects

Cell-instructive Functional Graphenic Materials (FGMs)

Such as: Daneshmandi, L; Holt, B. D.; Arnold, A. M.; Laurencin, C.; Sydlik, S. A. “Ultra-low binder content 3D printed calcium phosphate graphene scaffolds as resorbable, osteoinductive matrices that support bone formation in vivo” Sci. Rep., 2022, 12,6960.

Bio-inspired and Bioactive Polymeric Materials

Such as: Wright, Z. M.; Pandit, A.; Holt, B. D.; Sydlik, S. A. “Therapeutic Methacrylic (TMA) comonomers for covalent controlled release from mechanically robust bone cement: Kinetics and structure-function relationships.” Macromolecules, 2019, 52, 3775- 3786.

Peptide-based Materials to Treat Drug Overdose

Such as: Eckhart, K. E.; Wood, H.; Taofik, T.; Cao, D. J.; Sydlik, S. A. “Peptide Amphiphiles for drug adsorption: a new approach for drug overdose treatment.” 2023, RSC Applied Polymers, 2, 47- 61.

Heavy Metal Remediation

Such as: Schmidt, S. J.; Dou, W.; Sydlik, S. A “Regeneratable graphene-based water filter to remove heavy metal at home.” 2023, ES&T Water, 3, 2179- 2185.

Sustainable and Degradable FGM-polymer composites

Such as: Vickery, W. M.; Lee, K.; Lee, S. M.; Orlando, J. D.; Sydlik, S. A. “Plastic Composites from Repurposed Polyethylene-Terephthalate Wasted Functionalized Graphene Oxide through Dynamic Depolymerization” ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2024, 7, 3691-3701.

Novel Polymer and Functional Graphenic Material Compatibility

Such as: Vickery, W. M.; Wood, H. B.; Orlando, J. D.; Singh, J.; Deng, C.; Zhou, J.-Yi.; Lannie, F.; Porter, A. W.; Sydlik, S. A. “Environmental and health impacts of functional graphenic materials and their ultrasonically altered products” NanoImpact, 2023, 31, 100471.

Publications

Peptide-functionalized reduced graphene oxide as a bioactive mechanically robust tissue regeneration scaffold
Holt, B. D., Arnold, A. M. and Sydlik, S. A, Polym. Int, 2017, 66, 1190–1198. doi:10.1002/pi.5375

Covalently-controlled drug delivery via therapeutic methacrylic tissue adhesives
Zoe M. Wright, Brian D. Holt, and Stefanie A. Sydlik, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2017, 5, 7743-7755, DOI: 10.1039/C7TB01151B

Covalently-controlled drug delivery via therapeutic methacrylic tissue adhesives
Zoe M. Wright, Brian D. Holt and Stefanie A. Sydlik, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2017, 5, 7743-7755

Increased Toughness and Excellent Electronic Properties in Regioregular Random Copolymers of 3-Alkylthiophenes and Thiophene
Smith, Z. C.; Wright, Z. M.; Arnold, A. M.; Sauve, G.; McCullough, R. D.; Sydlik, S. A.; Adv. Elec. Mater., 2016, doi:10.1002/aelm.201600316

In It for the Long Haul: The Cytocompatibility of Aged Graphene Oxide and Its Degradation Products
Holt, B. D.; Arnold, A. M.; Sydlik, S. A.; Adv. Health. Mater., 2016, doi: 10.1002/adhm.201600745

Graphene Oxide as a Scaffold for Bone Regeneration
Holt, B. D.; Wright, Z. M.; Arnold, A. M.; Sydlik, S. A.; Invited review for WIRES Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology, 2016, doi:10.1002/wnan.1437

The In Vivo Compatibility of Graphene Oxide and the Effect of Oxidation State
Sydlik, S. A.; Jhunjhunwala, S.; Webber, M. J.; Anderson, D. G.; Langer, R. S.; ACS Nano, 2015, 9, 3866- 3874. Featured on NanoTechWeb

A Perspective on the Clinical Translation of Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
Webber, M. J.; Khan, O. F.; Sydlik, S. A.; Tang, B. C.; Annals. Biom. Eng., 2015, 43, 641- 656

Apparent Roughness as an Indicator of Deoxygenation of Graphene Oxide
den Boer, D.; Weis, J. G.; Zuniga, C. A.; Sydlik, S. A.; Swager, T. M.; Chem. Mater. 2014, 26, 4849- 4855

Phosphate Functionalized Graphene with Tunable Mechanical Properties
Goods, J. B.; Sydlik, S. A.; Walish, J. J., Swager, T. M.; Adv. Mater., 2014, 26, 718- 723

Supercapacitors from Free-Standing Polypyrrole/ Graphene Nanocomposites
de Oliveira, H. P.; Sydlik, S. A.; Swager, T. M.; J. Phys. Chem. C, 2013, 117, 10270- 10276

Effects of Graphene and Carbon Nanotube Fillers on the Shear Properties of Epoxies
Sydlik, S. A., J. Poly. Sci. Part B: Polym. Phys., 2013, 51, 997- 1006

Epoxy-functionalized MWNT for Advanced Adhesives
Sydlik, S. A.; Lee, J.-H.; Walish, J. J.; Thomas, E. L.; Swager, T. M.; Carbon, 2013, 59, 109- 120

Triptycene-Containing Polyethers via Acyclic Diene Metathesis Polymerization
Sydlik, S. A.; Delgado, P. A.; Inomata, S.; VanVeller, B.; Swager, T. M.; Wagener, K. B.; J. Poly. Sci. Part A, 2013, 51, 1695- 1706

Functional Graphenic Materials via a Claisen Rearrangement
Sydlik, S. A.; Swager, T. M.; Adv. Func. Mater., 2013, 23, 1873- 1882

Appointments

Years	Position
2022–present	Associate Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
2015–2022	Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
2013–2015	Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Awards and Distinctions

Years	Award
2024	Humboldt Research Fellowship
2022	Moore Inventor Fellow + Tartans on the Rise (Inaugural class)
2020	World Economic Forum Young Scientist
2018	ACS PMSE Young Investigator Award
2014–2015	National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellowship
2013	Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research (ACS Symposium), MIT Chemistry Nominee
2008–2011	National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
2008	MIT Department of Chemistry Award for Outstanding Teaching
2007	Carnegie Mellon Judith A. Resnik Award
2007	Sigma Xi Research Competition, Honorable Mention
2007	Phi Beta Kappa Research Competition, Richard Shoenwald Award Winner
2006–2007	Beckman Scholars Program Award Recipient