Renata Dos Reis Marques

Renata is a second year PhD student in the Bioengineering department. She earned her bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where she was mentored under Dr. Rachel Patton McCord. In her undergraduate career, she assisted in a project aiming to investigate prostate cancer cell-microenvironment interactions in the context of 3D genome structure, and went on to then spearhead a project examining the effects of cytoskeletal disruption on nuclear morphology and chromosome structure in migratory melanoma cells. In the Dewey lab, Renata is interested in studying the therapeutic potential of extracellular vesicles incorporated within biomaterials in the context of mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and extracellular matrix remodeling for bone repair. She also leads the coral reef restoration project, applying human tissue engineering strategies to drive coral regeneration. Outside of the lab, Renata enjoys spending her time with her German Shepherd mix, Mary Jane, and taking care of her plants.