These past few months, Robert Choe has been working hard to prepare for his dissertation defense. A defense is the last step any graduate student needs to complete to PhD. This is where they present the work they have done over the past five years and show how they completed their thesis in front of a committee of professors. The PhD candidate must “defend” their work to the committee to prove they made a significant difference in their field.

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On Wednesday October 4th, Robert successfully presented his dissertation defense and was awarded his PhD! Robert’s work focused on the development of an implantable osteochondral scaffold for cartilage engineering. Robert leveraged the unique capabilities of 3D printing to build computational models of a broad range of osteochondral scaffolds, identifying the critical parameters that support a strong and resilient bone – cartilage interface. Robert then examined the proper cell delivery strategy for the bone phase of the 3D printed scaffolds, defining a strategy for osteoblast – osteoclast coculture for bone tissue development and maintenance. Robert’s work has already been communicated in 5 journal articles and numerous conference presentations. After BIOE, Robert will return to his DMD roots to take an associate prosthodontist position at ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers. Congratulations again to Robert on both his outstanding work and incredible efforts!