Bio

Annie Scutte is a Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. candidate with anticipated graduation in 2025, specializing in mechanobiology and microbiology at the intersection of environmental mechanics and cellular behavior. As a Graduate Research Assistant at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab), she investigates how substrate properties influence microbial motility and biofilm dynamics. Her work has contributed to peer-reviewed publications on gliding bacteria and iridescent biofilms, and she is set to defend her dissertation under advisors Dr. Jamel Ali and Dr. Ramakrishnan Subramanian. Annie is dedicated to translating these insights into therapeutic strategies for infection control and bioactive material design.

Research

As a Ph.D. candidate, my research focuses on understanding how environmental factors, particularly matrix stiffness, influence biofilm formation and eukaryotic cell behavior. Biofilms are aggregates of bacteria surrounded by a self-produced extracellular matrix that allows them to evade the immune system and antimicrobial treatments. As a result, biofilms pose an imminent threat to healthcare and the environment due to their ability to colonize various surfaces and their association with numerous infections and diseases. While there is extensive knowledge regarding biofilm growth on 2D surfaces, there is limited understanding of biofilms in 3D structured environments that mimic the physiological extracellular matrix. My work explores the combined effects of bacterial concentration and matrix rheological properties on 3D biofilm development. Additionally, we investigate the impact of substrate stiffness on bacterial motility and biofilm emergent properties, such as structural organization. In parallel, we study the effects of matrix stiffness on eukaryotic cell-cell interactions, viability, proliferation, and differentiation. My research aims to uncover the role of mechanical stimuli in shaping cellular processes in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, with potential applications in therapeutic strategies and bioactive material development.