Benjamin Freedman

Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

Benjamin Freedman (PhD) is a faculty member in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he leads a laboratory focused on the design and synthesis of biomaterials to improve the repair of biological tissues, with a particular focus on the tendon. Ben has received multiple grants from the NIH and NSF to support his research. His laboratory uses novel adhesive hydrogels to bridge the interface between tissues and technology. Collectively, his publications (45 total) have been published in several high-impact journals, including Nature BME, Science Translational Medicine, Advanced Materials, and Science Advances. His research has been covered in over 50 news outlets, presented in over 65 conference abstracts, and resulted in 4 patents as a lead inventor licensed for commercialization. Before starting as a faculty member, Ben completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. He holds a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester. 

Eckhard Weber

Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research

Eckhard Weber (PhD) is Associate Director at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) in Basel, Switzerland. He leads multidisciplinary, translational research projects dedicated to developing transformative regenerative therapies for tendon diseases. Eckhard collaborates with global scientific leaders from industry and academia across the biomedical and biotechnological universe to integrate innovation in drug discovery, delivery, and development. Joining Novartis in 2000 from academia, Eckhard held senior positions in translational research of different therapeutic areas such as Neuroscience, Arthritis Bone and Metabolism, and Gastrointestinal and Musculoskeletal and directed various projects from drug discovery to clinical development. He holds an MSc and a PhD in Physiology, Biochemistry, and Nutrition from the University of Hohenheim, Germany. Originally from Germany, Eckhard lives in Basel, Switzerland. He is passionate about industrial design, architecture, gardening, and ‘les beaux arts’ in general.