Faculty Directory

Sochol, Ryan D.

Sochol, Ryan D.

Director, Maryland Robotics Center
Associate Professor
Fischell Institute Fellow
Mechanical Engineering
Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Maryland Robotics Center
The Institute for Systems Research
Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
3156 Brendan Iribe Center

BACKGROUND

Prof. Sochol’s Bioinspired Advanced Manufacturing (BAM) Laboratory pioneers micro/nanoscale additive manufacturing or “3D printing” strategies that advance life sciences and biomedical applications to, ultimately, benefit human health and well-being.  These efforts rely primarily on an alternative 3D printing technology called “Two-Photon Direct Laser Writing”, including using the recently acquired state-of-the-art 3D micro/nanoprinter housed in Prof. Sochol's lab (which is accessible to internal and external users).  

Dr. Sochol currently serves as Director of the Maryland Robotics Center (MRC) and holds a joint appointment as an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering & the Institute for Systems Research (ISR).  Dr. Sochol is also Fischell Institute Fellow of the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices and an affiliate faculty member of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering.

EDUCATION

  • Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley (2011)
  • M.S., University of California, Berkeley (2009)
  • B.S., Northwestern University (2006)

POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING

  • NIH Fellow within the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham & Women’s Hospital
  • Director/Founder of the Micro Mechanical Methods for Biology (M3B) Laboratory Program within the Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center at the University of California, Berkeley
  • Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow within the Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Tokyo

HONORS AND AWARDS

Primary Courses

FDA Awards Sochol-Led Team $873K to Build Retina Models

The team will use 3D nanoprinting and AI to develop retinal models for evaluating ophthalmic imaging systems.

Mechanical Engineering Doctoral Student Rho Ma’s Varied Passions Inspire New Designs

Ma combines biology, additive manufacturing, and art to create innovative functional designs.

Sochol Named Maryland Robotics Center Director

Soft robotics pioneer leads UMD’s flagship hub for robotics research.

Fischell Institute APIDA Heritage Month Spotlight: Xin "Pannie" Xu

In the BAM Lab, Xu develops advanced additive manufacturing strategies for organ-on-a-chip systems, small devices containing living cells that mimic the structure and function of human tissues and organs. These systems are being explored as an alternative to animal testing for biomedical research.

Bonthron, Colton Win Three-Minute Thesis Competition

Mechanical engineering doctoral students win two out of six top awards at annual event.

Fischell Institute Womxn's History Month Spotlight: Paige Campbell

Campbell’s research utilizes advanced manufacturing strategies to fabricate novel medical devices and tools for soft robotics — flexible, inflatable robots that are powered using water or air instead of electricity. 

Sochol Named Interim Director of the Maryland Robotics Center

Professor Ryan Sochol tapped to lead UMD’s robotics center into a new era of innovation and impact.

Chowdhury Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Abdil Muhaymin Chowdhury receives one of the highest honors available to U.S. doctoral students.

Sochol Receives E. Robert Kent Outstanding Teaching Award for Junior Faculty

UMD Prof. Ryan Sochol recognized for excellence in teaching and innovation

Taiwanese Embassy visits the University of Maryland, tours Fischell Institute

The visit was an effort to connect the university’s biotechnology and advanced manufacturing personnel with Taiwanee representatives in the hopes of future collaborations.

Bentley Group’s Chen-Yu Chen receives IEEE MEMS 2025 Outstanding Student Oral Presentation Award

Chen was recognized for his presentation, “3D-Micro Printed Microfluidic Scaffolds and the Rapid Seeding Strategy for Organ-on-a-Chip Applications,” which introduced a method to accelerate the process of integrating cells into 3D-printed microstructures

Fischell Institute Affiliate Fellow Spotlight:  Eleonora Tubaldi

Her research focuses on developing devices that integrate seamlessly with biological systems, for applications such as cardiovascular prosthetics and minimally invasive surgery.

Maryland Engineers Take On Big Challenges in Medicine

Read about Clark School researchers who are engineering medical breakthroughs needed today in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of Engineering at Maryland magazine.

State-of-the-Art 3D Nanoprinter Now at UMD

The $650,000 3D printer housed in Prof. Ryan Sochol’s Laboratory is the only system of its kind within 400 miles of UMD.

Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices invests $200K in the future of biomedical devices, cultivating up-and-coming investigators and immersing them in successful multidisciplinary teams

Designed to bolster young, postdoctoral researchers by pairing them with existing, proven research teams, the fellowship aims to propel the careers of awardees, enabling them to apply for additional grants or faculty positions in the future.

Forty years of MEMS research at the Hilton Head Workshop

UMD Professor Reza Ghodssi is president of Transducer Research Foundation (TRF), the organization that sponsors the event.

Pneumatically controlled soft robotic catheters offer accuracy, flexibility

Researchers from UMD, JHU and UMSOM develop new robotic system for minimally invasive surgery.

Fischell Institute Spotlight: Sunandita Sarker

Sarker was inspired to attend the University of Maryland for her postdoctoral research for its fantastic mechanical engineering program, especially in additive manufacturing. 

Fischell Institute Fellow Spotlight: Ryan Sochol

Dr.  Ryan Sochol is a Fischell Institute Fellow with a focus on 3D micro/nanoprinting-enabled strategies  
 

Sochol-led Team to Develop 3D-Nanoprinted Neurosurgical Tools

The NIH has awarded $2.7 million to a UMD/JHU/UMSOM team that will leverage machine learning and 3D printing.

University of Maryland Engineers Have 3D Printed a Soft Robotic Hand That Can Play Nintendo

Achievement opens the door for new advances in soft robotics.

Mighty Morphing 3D Printing

UMD engineers demonstrate a new shape-changing nozzle that could revolutionize “4D Printing” applications.

Sochol Receives NSF CAREER Award to Explore New Multi-Material 3D Nanoprinting Technique

New research could expand additive manufacturing capabilities with multiple materials at smaller sizes while offering students unique hands-on research opportunities.

New Multi-Material 3D Nanoprinting Strategy Could Revolutionize Optics, Photonics and Biomedicine

UMD engineers demonstrate new approach by 3D printing a five-material DNA-inspired microstructure that is a fraction of the size of a human hair.

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