Christine Ortiz

About

Professor Christine Ortiz is a faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. Her research focuses on structural or load-bearing biological materials, particularly musculoskeletal tissues such as articular cartilage, bone, and intervertebral disc, as well as exoskeletal structures including natural flexible armor, transparent armor, and armor for biochemical toxin resistance, kinetic attacks, thermal regulation, and blast dissipation. She employs expertise in nanomechanics to study these materials, involving the measurement and prediction of extremely small forces and displacements, quantification of nanoscale spatially-varying mechanical properties, and the formulation of molecular-level structure-property relationships. Her work employs novel experimental and theoretical methods across multiple scales, from individual molecules to intact tissue, with the ultimate goal of achieving a fundamental, mechanistic understanding of tissue function, quality, and pathology. Her research has significant implications for medical and engineering fields, including advancements in tissue repair, replacement, and treatment of diseases such as osteoarthritis, as well as the development of biologically inspired structural engineering materials and protective technologies that exhibit 'mechanical property amplification'.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Physics
• Nanotechnology
• Engineering
• Materials science
• Political Science
• Public relations
• Mathematics
• Simulation
• Particle physics

Selected publications

• Bioinspired design of flexible armor based on chiton scales

  Nature Communications · 2019-12-10 · 97 citations

  articleOpen access

  Man-made armors often rely on rigid structures for mechanical protection, which typically results in a trade-off with flexibility and maneuverability. Chitons, a group of marine mollusks, evolved scaled armors that address similar challenges. Many chiton species possess hundreds of small, mineralized scales arrayed on the soft girdle that surrounds their overlapping shell plates. Ensuring both flexibility for locomotion and protection of the underlying soft body, the scaled girdle is an excellen…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Biological connective tissues exhibit viscoelastic and poroelastic behavior at different frequency regimes: Application to tendon and skin biophysics

  Acta Biomaterialia · 2018-02-06 · 86 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Socially‐Directed Development of Materials for Structural Color

  Advanced Materials · 2022 · 46 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Advancing a socially-directed approach to materials research and development is an imperative to address contemporary challenges and mitigate future detrimental environmental and social impacts. This paper reviews, synergizes, and identifies cross-disciplinary opportunities at the intersection of materials science and engineering with humanistic social sciences fields. Such integrated knowledge and methodologies foster a contextual understanding of materials technologies embedded within, and imp…

  PublisherDOI

• Fish-inspired flexible protective material systems with anisotropic bending stiffness

  Communications Materials · 2021 · 23 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Abstract Biological structures integrate morphometry (shape-based rules) with materials design to maximize organism survival. The exoskeleton of the armored fish, Polypterus senegalus , balances flexibility with protection from predatory and territorial threats. Material properties of the exoskeleton are known; however, the geometric design rules underlying its anisotropic flexibility are uncharacterized. Here, we show how scale shape, articulation, and composite architecture produce anisotropic…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Poroelastic behavior and water permeability of human skin at the nanoscale

  PNAS Nexus · 2023-08-01 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  Topical skin care products and hydrating compositions (moisturizers or injectable fillers) have been used for years to improve the appearance of, for example facial wrinkles, or to increase "plumpness". Most of the studies have addressed these changes based on the overall mechanical changes associated with an increase in hydration state. However, little is known about the water mobility contribution to these changes as well as the consequences to the specific skin layers. This is important as th…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• The Role of Genetic Modifications, Age and Exercise on Cartilage Biomechanics using Genetically Engineered Mice

  NSF · $399k · 2015–2020

• Nanomechanics of Cartilage Extracellular Matrix Macromolecules from Aged, Diseased, and Engineered Tissues

  NSF · $300k · 2008–2012

• PECASE: Molecular Design and Nanomechanical Testing of High-Toughness Biomimetic Polymeric Systems

  NSF · $411k · 2001–2007

Frequent coauthors

• Alan J. Grodzinsky

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  57 shared

• Mary C. Boyce

  Columbia University

  40 shared

• Lin Han

  Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

  40 shared

• Delphine Dean

  Clemson University

  24 shared

• Hadi T. Nia

  19 shared

• Anna Plaas

  Rush University Medical Center

  16 shared

• Ling Li

  Zhongda Hospital Southeast University

  12 shared

• Eliot H. Frank

  11 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  1996

• M.S., Materials Science and Engineering

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  1992

• B.S., Materials Science and Engineering

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  1990

Awards & honors

• 2023 Teaching with Digital Technology Award, MIT
• 2008 Hadassah Appreciation Medal and Lady Davis Fellow, Hebr…
• 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award, MIT
• 2008 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship
• 2001 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engi…

Similar researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Yang Shao-Hornh-143
• Ju Lih-141
• Yet-Ming Chiangh-102