John-Bruce Green Ph.D.

College of Natural and Computational Sciences - Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Associate Professor of Engineering

EDUCATION:

• ASEE Post Doctoral Fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory 
• Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Iowa State University
• B.A. in Chemistry, Bellarmine College

COURSES:

• ENGR 1000 - Introduction to Engineering Systems and Professional Practice
• ENGR 2500 - Design Project Experience II
• ENGR 4500 - Engineering Research
• ENGT 2100 - Fundamentals of Biomaterials
• ENGT 3002 - Analytical Biotech
• ENGT 3100 - Advanced Biomaterials
• ENGT 3200 - Bioprocesses
• ENGT 4001 - Tissue Engineering
• ENGT 4999 - Special Topics in Bionanotechnology

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS:

Dr. Green’s professional interests lie at the interdisciplinary intersection of engineering and science, with a particular focus on materials science, biofabrication, and biomedical innovation. He is passionate about developing analytical instrumentation, combinatorial biofabrication platforms, and biosensor technologies for both environmental and medical applications, using tools such as nanotechnology, 3D printing, microfluidics, and automation. His group develops modular multimaterial fabrication systems capable of generating tunable biomaterial constructs and programmable polymer interfaces to address challenges in epithelial tissue engineering, pathogen–surface interactions, and medical device performance. His work often integrates advanced materials and microbial systems to uncover design principles that govern biological behavior at engineered interfaces. Dr. Green highly values cross-disciplinary collaboration, partnering with marine biology, environmental science, and biomedical researchers to drive translational innovation.

TEACHING INTERESTS/RESEARCH:

The Green group’s research focuses on the development of environmentally and medically valuable instrumentation and combinatorial biomaterials platforms utilizing interfacial engineering, synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and advanced 3D printing technologies. Current projects include:

• The development of modular multimaterial biofabrication systems to produce combinatorial tissue constructs and programmable polymer interfaces that regulate mammalian and microbial behavior relevant to biomedical devices and deployment environments.
• The design and feasibility testing of microfluidic devices for cancer research, disease prevention, and bioprospecting.
• The creation of bionanotechnological devices leveraging DNA origami methods for theragnostic applications.

Much of this work will involve undergraduate collaborations with the UH Cancer Center, the Oceanic Institute, and access to UH, UCLA, and Argonne National Laboratory nanofabrication facilities. Dr. Green’s teaching emphasizes interdisciplinary, hands-on learning that integrates research with classroom instruction. He teaches courses such as analytical biotechnology, biomaterials, bioprocess engineering, and bionanotechnology, and tissue engineering, encouraging students to apply engineering design principles to complex biomedical and environmental challenges.

 PERSONAL INTERESTS/BIOGRAPHY:

In addition to his academic and research pursuits, Dr. Green enjoys creative and artistic activities, particularly metal and stone sculpture, which complement his technical work by blending creativity with craftsmanship. He is deeply committed to community engagement and works to improve public access to maker spaces, promoting the integration of art and science. Dr. Green's personal interests reflect his broader vision of fostering creativity and interdisciplinary learning, both within the university and the wider community.