{{short description|Canadian scientist}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}{{Infobox scientist | name = Peter Zandstra<br><small>{{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|FRSC}}</small> | birth_name = Peter W. Zandstra | image = | caption = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | fields = {{Plainlist| *Stem Cell Bioengineering *Signalling Dynamics *Cell Process Dynamics}} | workplaces = {{Plainlist| *University of Toronto *McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine *University of British Columbia}} | alma_mater = McGill University<br>University of British Columbia (PhD)<br>Massachusetts Institute of Technology | awards = {{Plainlist| *FRSC}} | website = {{URL|https://www.stemcellbioengineering.ca/}} }} '''Peter W. Zandstra''', {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|FRSC}}, is a Canadian scientist who is the Vice-President, Research and Innovation of the University of British Columbia, the Founding Director of the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME), and a Professor in the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering. Previously he was a professor at the University of Toronto.

==Education== Zandstra graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McGill University in the Department of Chemical Engineering and later obtained his Ph.D. degree from the University of British Columbia in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, under the supervision of Jamie Piret and Connie Eaves. He continued his research training as a postdoctoral fellow in the field of bioengineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (with Doug Lauffenburger) before being appointed to the University of Toronto in 1999.<ref name=scb>{{cite web|url=https://www.stemcellbioengineering.ca/peter-zandstra/|title=Peter Zandstra Ph.D., P.Eng., FRSC|publisher=Stem Cell Bioengineering|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref>

==Career== In 2007, Zandstra was appointed as a professor at the University of Toronto's Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/peter-zandstra-named-university-professor-u-ts-highest-academic-rank/|title=Peter Zandstra named University Professor, U of T's highest academic rank|publisher=University of Toronto|date=June 3, 2016|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> He was cross appointed with the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry and Medical Genetics. In 2016, Zandstra became a professor at the University of British Columbia. He served as the Founding Director of the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia<ref>{{cite news|publisher=University of British Columbia|date=July 1, 2017|url=https://mednet.med.ubc.ca/AboutUs/NewsAndEvents/NewsAndHonours/Pages/Peter-Zandstra-joins-UBC-to-lead-the-newly-established-School-of-Biomedical-Engineering.aspx|title=Peter Zandstra joins UBC to lead the newly established School of Biomedical Engineering|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> and was the director of the Michael Smith Laboratories until July 2022.<ref name="uoo">{{cite web|url=https://www.msl.ubc.ca/people/dr-peter-zandstra/|title=Peter Zandstra|last=|first=|date=2 August 2018|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> In July 2023, he was reappointed to a second term as director of the School of Biomedical Engineering.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mednet.med.ubc.ca/announcements/appointment-announcement/dr-peter-zandstra-reappointed-director-school-of-biomedical-engineering/ | title=Dr. Peter Zandstra reappointed Director, School of Biomedical Engineering | date=19 July 2023 }}</ref>

Zandstra also serves on the advisory board of the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact of the University of Oregon<ref name=uoo/> and serves as Chief Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab.<ref>{{cite web |title=Peter Zandstra |url=https://creativedestructionlab.com/mentors/peter-zandstra/ |access-date=August 17, 2019 |publisher=Creative Destruction Lab}}</ref> He also is a Chief Scientific Officer at the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ccrm.ca/Peter_Zandstra|title=Peter Zandstra|publisher=Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> and is a part of the Silver Creek Pharmaceuticals team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.silvercreekpharma.com/team/dr-peter-zandstra/|title=Peter Zandstra|publisher=Silver Creek Pharmaceuticals|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref>

==Research== Research in the Zandstra Laboratory is focused on the regeneration of functional tissues from stem cells, and the development and utilization of tools to modulate the responses of stem cells ''in vitro'' and ''in vivo''. Interest in the generation of primary cells and tissues ''ex vivo'' is driven both by their potential use as a direct clinical modality and as human tissue analogues for the development of novel therapeutic agents.<ref name=scb/> Zandstra's group is particularly interested in understanding the role that the extracellular environment, the stem cell niche, plays in controlling stem cell fate decisions. Using quantitative bioengineering approaches including micro-fabrication, bioreactors, mathematical modeling, protein engineering and cell engineering, the Zandstra Lab is discovering how stem cells integrate their complex microenvironment to make self-renewal or differentiation divisions. The group is focused on using this understanding to enable new therapeutically and technologically relevant strategies in regenerative medicine. The Zandstra lab focuses in particular on understanding how to grow human blood stem cells, and on understanding how to differentiate pluripotent stem cells into functional blood, cardiac, and pancreatic tissue.

Zandstra currently serves as associate editor for the journals ''Stem Cells'', ''Stem Cell Research'' and ''Biotechnology and Bioengineering''.

In addition to his research, Zandstra teaches in cellular engineering, having developed both undergraduate and graduate curricula covering the use of mathematical models to describe and predict cell fate decisions. Zandstra helped with the founding of the IBBME teaching laboratory, designing and implementing more than 6 labs. He currently serves as the director of the University of Toronto's Minor in Bioengineering, an engineering faculty-wide program designed to give undergraduate students a co-ordained series of courses in bioengineering related topics.

==Awards and honours== In 2008, during an annual conference held by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Zandstra was inducted as its Fellow.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://phys.org/news/2008-02-stem-cells-bioengineering.html|title=From stem cells to organs: The bioengineering challenge|website=Phys.org|date=February 16, 2008|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref>

In 2014, Zandstra was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/ted-sargent-peter-zandstra-named-fellows-royal-society-canada/|title=Ted Sargent and Peter Zandstra named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada|publisher=University of Toronto|date=September 11, 2014|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> and a year later he was recognized for contributions to development and commercialization of stem cell-based therapies and became a recipient of the Scale-Up and Manufacturing of Cell-Based Therapies Award.<ref>{{cite news|title=Peter Zandstra recognized for contributions to development and commercialization of stem cell-based therapies|publisher=University of Toronto|date=October 3, 2016|access-date=August 17, 2019|author=Luke Ng|url=https://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/zandstra-recognized-contributions-stem-cell-based-therapies/}}</ref>

In 2017, Zandstra was appointed as Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Bioengineering.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/chairholders-titulaires/profile-eng.aspx?profileId=720|title=Peter Zandstra|date=29 November 2012 |access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref>

His other recognitions include: *Premiers Research Excellence Award (2002) *E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (2005)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Prizes-Prix/Steacie-Steacie/Profiles-Profils_eng.asp?ID=1029|title=Past Winner of the 2005 E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship: Peter Zandstra|publisher=Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada|date=February 27, 2013|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> *John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (2007)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gf.org/fellows/all-fellows/peter-zandstra/|title=Peter Zandstra|publisher=Guggenheim Fellowship|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> *Canada's Top 40 Under 40 (2008) *McLean Award (2008)<ref>{{cite web |title=McLean Award: Past Winners |url=http://www.research.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/List-of-McLean-Award-Winners-2018-.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817032309/http://www.research.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/List-of-McLean-Award-Winners-2018-.pdf |archive-date=2019-08-17 |access-date=August 17, 2019 |publisher=University of Toronto}}</ref> *Fellow of the AIMBE<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aimbe.org/college-of-fellows/cof-1205/|title=Peter Zandstra, Ph.D.|publisher=AIMBE|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> *Till and McCulloch Award (2013)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/till-mcculloch-award-goes-ibbmes-peter-zandstra-2/|title=Till & McCulloch Award Goes to IBBME's Peter Zandstra|publisher=University of Toronto|date=September 26, 2013|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> *Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aiche.org/community/bio/professor-peter-zandstra-phd-frsc-peng|title=Professor Peter Zandstra, PhD, FRSC, PEng|date=29 February 2012 |publisher=American Institute of Chemical Engineers|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> *Member of the Order of Canada (2022)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://stemcell.ibme.utoronto.ca/ Zandstra's Stem Cell Bioengineering Laboratory website] *[http://tdccbr.med.utoronto.ca/content/peter-zandstra Donnelly Centre Profile]

{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Zandstra, Peter}} Category:Canada Research Chairs Category:Living people Category:Academic staff of the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering Category:Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Category:University of Oregon faculty Category:Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Category:Fellows of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Category:Canadian biomedical engineers Category:Canadian chemical engineers Category:Engineers from British Columbia Category:Engineers from Ontario Category:McGill University Faculty of Engineering alumni Category:MIT School of Engineering alumni Category:University of British Columbia Faculty of Applied Science alumni Category:20th-century Canadian engineers Category:21st-century Canadian engineers Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Members of the Order of Canada Category:Scientists from Vancouver