Shen Ren (Ph.D. ME 2021) is a postdoctoral fellow in UW Mechanical Engineering.

Shen Ren, a postdoctoral fellow in UW ME and the UW Center for Dialysis Innovation, has been named winner of the 2021 Peter L. Steponkus Crystal Award from the Society for Cryobiology (SFC). Ren won the award for outstanding doctoral research and his presentation titled, “Successful Vitreous Cryopreservation of Rabbit Jugular Vein Using Magnetic Nanoparticles Enhanced Single-mode Electromagnetic Resonance Rewarming System.” The work involved advancing a new technology for cooling down and re-warming biological materials that could allow for better preservation of bodily tissues and organs.

The Peter L. Steponkus Crystal Award is given to one Ph.D. candidate each year, elected from an international pool of the cryobiology field’s top students and includes a $1,000 cash prize. Ren’s award was presented at CRYO2021, the annual conference of the SFC.

Ren earned his doctorate from UW ME in December 2020 and also won the department’s Exceptional Ph.D. Dissertation Award for his research. As a postdoctoral fellow he is continuing his work with ME’s Origincell Endowed Professor Dayong Gao, developing advanced technology for artificial organs and organ cryopreservation.