Shields

Wyatt Shields receives Army Young Investigator award

Susan Glairon — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 22:01:02 +0000

Wyatt Shields receives Army Young Investigator award Susan Glairon Fri, 07/24/2026 - 16:01

Associate Professor Wyatt Shields received the Army Research Office's Young Investigator award for research that could advance the next generation of programmable microscopic robots.

Shields' team is developing tiny magnetic building blocks that can self-assemble into microrobots with programmed movements. By changing the sequence of these microscopic particles, researchers can control how the robots function—opening the door to new approaches for smart materials, sensors and other responsive technologies.

The project combines chemical engineering, materials science and computational modeling to create microscale robotic systems that can be manufactured at scale for a wide range of future applications.

Associate Professor Wyatt Shields received an Army Research Office Young Investigator award to develop programmable microscopic robots inspired by protein folding.

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Wyatt Shields receives Grubstake Award to advance treatment toward clinical use

Susan Glairon — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:06:34 +0000

Wyatt Shields receives Grubstake Award to advance treatment toward clinical use Susan Glairon Thu, 01/22/2026 - 14:06

Assistant Professor Wyatt Shields

High-grade serous carcinoma is the deadliest form of ovarian cancer, and while a drug called olaparib can help prevent the cancer from returning, it often causes serious side effects. To address this challenge, Wyatt Shields, assistant professor in �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Benjamin Bitler, associate professor in the �鶹��Ѱ��Anschutz Division of Reproductive Sciences and �鶹��Ѱ��PhD Student Courtney Bailey have developed a new way to deliver the drug more safely. Their approach uses tiny, biodegradable particles carried by immune cells to deliver treatment directly to tumors, helping reduce harmful effects on the rest of the body. Funding totaling $300,000 from the Gates Institute at University of Colorado Anschutz, in partnership with �鶹��Ѱ��Anschutz Innovations, will support the next steps to move this technology closer to clinical use.

Read more at University of Colorado Anschutz News...

Assistant Professor Wyatt Shields along with other researchers have developed a safer, targeted way to deliver an ovarian cancer drug using immune cell–carried particles, supported by $300,000 in Gates Institute funding to advance it toward clinical use.

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Researchers create shape-shifting, self-navigating microparticles

Susan Glairon — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:17:52 +0000

Researchers create shape-shifting, self-navigating microparticles Susan Glairon Wed, 01/14/2026 - 14:17

�鶹��Ѱ��researchers have created shape-shifting microparticles that change their shape in response to environmental factors for self-directed propulsion and navigation.

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Shields Lab and SPUR student team up to advance microrobot drug delivery

Susan Glairon — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 20:46:07 +0000

Shields Lab and SPUR student team up to advance microrobot drug delivery Susan Glairon Fri, 10/03/2025 - 14:46

SPUR student Joshua Smith joined researchers in the Shields Lab to develop microrobots that actively deliver drugs to the lungs—an innovative approach that could transform treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome.

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New cancer therapy clings to tumors, with inspiration from gecko toes

Susan Glairon — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 21:15:45 +0000

New cancer therapy clings to tumors, with inspiration from gecko toes Susan Glairon Tue, 07/22/2025 - 15:15

A gecko-inspired technology developed by the Shields Lab, in collaboration with doctors at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, uses a specially designed material that adheres to tumors inside the body and steadily releases chemotherapy drugs over several days—potentially allowing for fewer but longer-lasting therapies.

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Scientists develop method to build tiny custom microrobots

Susan Glairon — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 23:04:14 +0000

Scientists develop method to build tiny custom microrobots Susan Glairon Mon, 07/07/2025 - 17:04

Photo caption: Stencil printed with a CU-shaped cutout for controllably depositing metal onto the particle that is underneath

Researchers at the �鶹��Ѱ�� have created a new way to build and control tiny particles that can move and work like microscopic robots, offering a powerful tool with applications in biomedical and environmental research.

The study, published in Nature Communications, describes a new method of fabrication that combines high-precision 3D printing, called two-photon lithography, with a microstenciling technique. The team prints both the particle and its stencil together, then deposits a thin layer of metal, such as gold, platinum or cobalt through the stencil’s openings. When the stencil is removed, a metal patch remains on the particle.

Kendra Kreienbrink , a materials science and engineering
PhD student in the Shields Lab, is the paper's first author.

The particles, invisible to the naked eye, can be made in almost any shape and patterned with surface patches as small as 0.2 microns — more than 500 times thinner than a human hair. The metal patches guide how the particles move when exposed to electric or magnetic fields, or chemical gradients.

“The shape of surface patches gives particles information about where to go,” said Assistant Professor Wyatt Shields, one of the paper’s authors. “We've not had good methods to control the shape of those patches until now.”

With this control, these particles could potentially help improve how drugs spread through human organs, improving the drug’s overall effectiveness, or aid in the removal of pollutants from contaminated environments.

The research team includes first author Kendra Kreienbrink, a materials science and engineering PhD student in the Shields Lab, along with two undergraduate students: Zoe Cruse, majoring in chemical and biological engineering and computer science, and Alisha Kumari, in biomedical engineering.

“This paper not only represents the exciting things that can be accomplished in active particles and microrobots using non-conventional microfabrication,” Shields said, “but that the inclusion and mentorship of undergrads early in research can lead to innovative outcomes.”

The tiny particles could potentially help enhance drug distribution in human organs, improving the drug’s overall effectiveness, or aid in removing pollutants from contaminated environments.

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New device could deliver bedside blood test results in an hour

Susan Glairon — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 19:34:32 +0000

New device could deliver bedside blood test results in an hour Susan Glairon Wed, 10/16/2024 - 13:34

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder researchers are developing a handheld device that could transform blood testing. Instead of needles and long waits for lab results, this sound-based system delivers accurate results in an hour from just a finger prick.

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Wyatt Shields selected as Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar

Anonymous — Fri, 10 May 2024 21:45:47 +0000

Wyatt Shields selected as Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/10/2024 - 15:45

Susan Glairon

Assistant Professor Wyatt Shields presents at the 2023 Packard Fellows retreat.

Wyatt Shields has been honored with a 2024 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar award for his contributions to teaching and research on medical microrobots, self-propelled miniature robots that one day might deliver prescription drugs to hard-to-reach places inside the human body.

PhD Student Nicole Day presents her research to Northglenn High School Students at the "Reverse Science Fair," held on Nov. 27, 2023. Credit: Byron Reed, 9News.

Microrobot seen under a scanning electron microscope.
(Credit: Shields Lab)

Eighteen Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars were selected for 2024, and each awardee will receive an unrestricted grant of $100,000.

"I am honored to join an impressive community of scholars who are committed to research excellence and teaching at the highest levels, reflecting the core values we share at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder,” said Shields, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the �鶹��Ѱ��.

According to the foundation, award recipients “are within the first five years of their academic careers, have each created an outstanding independent body of scholarship and are deeply committed to education.”

Funds from this award will support new trainees in the Shields Lab to advance work on synthetic and living microrobots that are capable of performing next-generation medical tasks. Synthetic microrobots are manufactured from biocompatible materials to move or change shape in response to stimulation from ultrasound or magnetic fields. In contrast, living microrobots comprise nanoparticles that attach to—and co-opt—immune cells for enhanced delivery to diseased tissues for medical treatments.

The microrobots may one day enhance the delivery of drugs to diseased tissues within the body or inform treatment decisions; instead of cutting into the patient, the robots could enter the body through a pill or an injection and undergo remote stimulation.

Shields added that teaching takes many forms, including classroom pedagogy, mentoring undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the lab and engaging in community outreach.

“The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation value all of these dimensions of teaching,” he said.

Shields plans to use this award to connect academic research to classroom teaching and to engage the broader public. To this end, Shields and Alex Rose from �鶹��Ѱ��Science Discovery created the first annual "Reverse Science Fair" last year. This event challenges graduate students to effectively communicate their research to local high school students in an engaging and understandable manner.

“The earlier we offer these opportunities for high school students to discover the diversity of scientific fields and careers out there, the better,” Rose said.

Shields has won numerous awards, including a Packard Foundation Fellowship in Science and Engineering, a Pew Biomedical Scholar award, an NSF CAREER award, an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program award and a National Institute of Health Maximizing Investigators' Research award.

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Six chemical and biological engineering students earn major NSF fellowships

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 07:56:06 +0000

Six chemical and biological engineering students earn major NSF fellowships Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/05/2024 - 01:56

Susan Glairon

Five chemical and biological engineering graduate students and one ChBE undergraduate student have received 2024 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, a prestigious award that recognizes and supports outstanding students in a wide variety of science-related disciplines. This year the NSF awarded 27 �鶹��Ѱ�� students, including 18 from the College of Engineering and Applied Science, with the graduate research fellowship.

Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 and full coverage of tuition, fees and insurance, along with opportunities for international research and professional development that span five years.

Emma Aldrich

Biological Engineering
Advisor: Kayla Sprenger

My research leverages computational tools to address questions in immunology, inflammation and cancer. Specifically, I aim to investigate novel therapeutics between Alzheimer’s Disease and glioma, using physics-based simulations to identify and target mechanisms that disrupt the tumor immunoediting process. One of my current projects is investigating how TREM2, a protein expressed on the immune cells of the brain, can mediate tumor suppression mechanisms of a platinum-IV chemotherapeutics in colorectal cancer. Creative applications of computational pipelines allow me to ask new questions at the interface of immunology, oncology and engineering, hopefully leading to solutions to urgent challenges.

Timotej Bernat

Chemical Engineering
Advisor: Michael R. Shirts

My research focuses on development of software and techniques for constructing and modeling general organic polymer systems at the atomic, molecular and nanoscale using molecular dynamics. Polymer design is essential to many active research areas including identifying suitable sustainable and recyclable plastics, compatibilizing polymer-biopolymer interfaces for biomedical engineering and therapeutics, and designing self-healing materials with dynamic covalent networks. However, systematic exploration of chemical and morphological polymer design spaces is practically impossible using experimental methods alone and requires assistance from computational structure-function models. I am currently active in two sustainability-driven collaborations with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), dealing with high-throughput screening of biomass-derived replacements for petroleum plastic monomers and lignin-derived replacements for common commercial plasticizers, respectively.

Zoe Cruse

Chemical and Biological Engineering (undergraduate)
Advisors: Wyatt Shields and Ankur Gupta

The goal of my research is to build a deeper understanding of active particle systems for improving targeted systems, such as targeted drug delivery. By leveraging both computational frameworks and experimental methodologies, I will gain a holistic understanding of how we can fabricate microparticle systems and integrate them into biological environments safely and effectively. In doing so, I hope to develop a framework that allows researchers to bridge the gap between the lab bench and patient bedsides. I look forward to starting my PhD at the University of Michigan this fall!

Olivia Irvin

Biological Engineering
Advisor: Timothy Whitehead

In my research, I use protein engineering to make better influenza vaccine immunogens. I use computational design tools, yeast display and deep sequencing techniques to redesign viral proteins. Upon immunization with these proteins, the immune system should more robustly target regions of the influenza protein that offer broader protection against a variety of flu strains.

David Saeb

Chemical Engineering
Advisor: Kayla Sprenger

My research uses computational tools, namely molecular dynamics simulations, to determine the protein-ligand binding mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, I aim to understand how an immune receptor protein known as TREM2, and its soluble form, modulate neuroinflammation. The ultimate goal of my project is to combine computational and wet lab tools to design novel Alzheimer's therapeutics.

Katie Trese

Biological Engineering
Advisor: Wyatt Shields

Some immune cell types are particularly good at migrating to sites of inflammation, such as solid cancer tumors. The goal of my project is to harness this capability of immune cells to bring drug-loaded nanoparticles directly to diseased tissue. To do so, I will investigate nanoparticle engineering, the ability of sound waves to purify cells, and the effect of nanoparticles on immune cell behavior. My hope is that the work done in this project will improve accessibility and patient outcomes for cell-based immunotherapies for a variety of treatment scenarios.

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Reverse Science Fair puts �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder grad students to the test

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 17:00:17 +0000

Reverse Science Fair puts �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder grad students to the test Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/28/2023 - 10:00

Under his NSF Career Award, Assistant Professor Wyatt Shields developed a "reverse science fair" in partnership with �鶹��Ѱ��Science Discovery. Graduate students presented their research, and high school students served as the judges.

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Shields

Wyatt Shields receives Army Young Investigator award

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Wyatt Shields receives Grubstake Award to advance treatment toward clinical use

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Researchers create shape-shifting, self-navigating microparticles

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Shields Lab and SPUR student team up to advance microrobot drug delivery

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New cancer therapy clings to tumors, with inspiration from gecko toes

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Scientists develop method to build tiny custom microrobots

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New device could deliver bedside blood test results in an hour

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Wyatt Shields selected as Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar

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Six chemical and biological engineering students earn major NSF fellowships

Emma Aldrich

Timotej Bernat

Zoe Cruse

Olivia Irvin

David Saeb

Katie Trese

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Reverse Science Fair puts �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder grad students to the test

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Reverse Science Fair puts �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder grad students to the test