Dr. Valentine is a professor of mechanical engineering at UC Santa Barbara and head of the Valentine Research Group of UC Santa Barbara and The Valentine Research Group where she directs an interdisciplinary research group focused on understanding and enhancing the mechanical performance of biological and bioinspired materials.
Her experimental laboratory focuses on understanding how forces are generated and transmitted in living materials, how these forces control cellular outcomes, and how the features of living systems can be captured in manmade materials. This highly interdisciplinary work lies at the intersection of engineering, physics, chemistry and biology. Using a wide variety of experimental techniques, she investigates the biophysical and biochemical origins of natural material mechanics, and translates this knowledge to create new classes of man-made materials that capture the extraordinary properties of living systems, including the ability to respond to stimuli, move, reconfigure and heal.