Dr. Caitlin Howell
Caitlin Howell, Ph.D.
Professor of Bioengineering
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
University of Maine
Caitlin Howell is a bioengineer and materials scientist whose work focuses on controlling what happens at interfaces. Drawing on biology, chemistry, and materials science, she develops materials and manufacturing approaches that create useful function through structure, biological growth, and scalable fabrication.
How I got here
My route to bioengineering has crossed disciplinary boundaries from the beginning. I trained in biology and mathematics as an undergraduate, studied plant pathology at the master’s level, and completed doctoral work in physical chemistry before moving into bio-inspired materials engineering. That path shapes how I approach engineering problems today: biological systems, interfacial chemistry, materials structure, and manufacturing are not separate subjects, but different ways of understanding and controlling function.
Interfaces
Understanding and controlling interactions among materials, fluids, molecules, cells, and organisms.
Biology as a fabrication tool
Using growth and biological transformation to create, modify, replenish, or adapt material function.
Scalable materials engineering
Developing simpler, resource-conscious approaches to sensing, coatings, biointerfaces, and manufacturing.
Teaching and Mentoring
I work with students across bioengineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, biology, and related fields. In both the classroom and the laboratory, I emphasize learning how to define useful questions, work across disciplinary boundaries, evaluate evidence critically, and communicate technical ideas clearly.
