Sidi A. Bencherif
Assistant Research Professor, Chemical Engineering
Affiliated Faculty, Bioengineering
Contact
- s.bencherif@northeastern.edu
- 360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Office
- 336 Mugar
- 617.373.7103
Lab
- 111 Mugar
Research Focus
polymer chemistry and engineering; biomaterials; biomedical engineering; drug delivery; tissue engineering; regenerative medicine; immunotherapy; immunoengineering; vaccines
About
Joined the Chemical Engineering Department in Fall 2016.
Education
- 2009 PhD in Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University
- 2009 MS in Polymer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
- 1999 B.S. in Physics and Chemistry from University of Montpellier II, France
Honors & Awards
- Selected in Stanford University List of Top 2% Scientists Worldwide, 2021
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 Award
- NSF Partnerships for Innovation – Technology Translation (PFI-TT) Award
- 2021 Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research Influential Researcher Award – The Americas
- 2021 Biomedical Engineering Society CMBE Rising Star Award
- 2021 Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator
- American Chemical Society PMSE Young Investigator Award
- National Science Foundation CAREER Award
- Thomas Jefferson Award
- Burroughs- Wellcome Fund Travel Award
- DFCI/Northeastern University Joint Program Award
- GapFund360 Award
- MTTC Acorn Award
- Acta Biomaterialia Outstanding Reviewer Award
- AAI Early Career Faculty Travel Award
- Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship
Professional Affiliations
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Materials Research Society (MRS)
- Society for Biomaterials (SFB)
- Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
- American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
- Scientific Research Society (Sigma Xi)
- American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
Research Overview
polymer chemistry and engineering; biomaterials; biomedical engineering; drug delivery; tissue engineering; regenerative medicine; immunotherapy; immunoengineering; vaccines

Laboratory for Advanced and Multifunctional Polymeric Biomaterials
The overall focus of the research in the Bencherif LAMP Biomaterials Laboratory is the fundamental understanding and development of polymeric materials for biomedical applications with a specific emphasis on tissue engineering, drug delivery, and cancer immunotherapy.
Selected Research Projects
- Overcoming vaccine-associated hypoxia with advanced biomaterials to enhance cancer immunotherapy
- – Principal Investigator, National Institute of Health
- Biomaterials for Wound Healing and Diabetic Ulcer Treatment
- – Co-Investigator, King Abdulaziz University
- Hypoxia-Inducing Cryogels: A Hassle-Free and Low-Cost Hypoxic Cell Culture Solution
- – Principal Investigator, Center for Research Innovation, Northeastern University
- Hypoxia-Inducing Cryogels As a Fast and Inexpensive Technology for Hypoxic Cell Culture Conditions
- – Principal Investigator, Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC)
- Modulating Local Tumor Hypoxia using Cryogel Scaffolds to Regulate Dendritic Cell Function and Activity
- – Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
- Oxygen-controlling Cryogels for Cell Culture Applications
- – Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
- Overcoming Vaccine-Associated Hypoxia with Advanced Biomaterials to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy
- – Principal Investigator, National Institutes of Health
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- T. Colombani, L.J. Eggermont, Z.J. Rogers, L. McKay, L. Avena, R. Johnson, N. Storm, A. Griffiths, S.A. Bencherif. (2021). Biomaterials and Oxygen Join Forces to Shape the Immune Response and Boost SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines. Advanced Science, 10.1002/advs.202100316
- T. Colombani, S.M. Hatfield, M. Rezaeeyazdi, L.J. Eggermont, A. Memic, M.V. Sitkovsky, S.A. Bencherif. (2021). Oxygen-generating Cryogels Restore T Cell-Mediated Antitumor Cytotoxicity in Hypoxic Tumor. Advanced Functional Materials, 10.1002/adfm.202102234
- L.J. Eggermont, T. Colombani, Z.J. Rogers, A. Memic, S.A. Bencherif, Injectable Cryogels for Biomedical Applications, Trends in Biotechnology, 38, 2020, 418–431
- P. Villard, M. Rezaeeyazdi, T. Colombani, K. Joshi Navare, D. Rana, A. Memic, S.A. Bencherif, Autoclavable and Injectable Cryogels for Biomedical Applications, Advanced Healthcare Materials, 8, 2019, 1900679
- A. Memic, T. Colombani, M. Rezaeeyazdi, L. Eggermont, J. Steingold, Z. Rogers, K.J. Navare, H.S. Mohammed, M. Sitkovsky, S.A. Bencherif, Latest Advances in Cryogel Technology for Biomedical Applications, Advanced Therapeutics, 2019, 1800114
- S.A. Bencherif, R.W. Sands, O. Ali, S.A. Lewin, A. Li, T. Braschler, T. Shih, D. Bhatta, G. Dranoff, D.J. Mooney Injectable Scaffold-Based Whole Tumor Cell Vaccines, Nature Communications, 6, 2015, 7556
Apr 27, 2023
Announcing Summer 2023 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Summer 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards. They will be pursuing a diverse set of projects, including a study of a pathogen that haunts hospitals, an examination of segregationist rhetoric in Boston newspapers, and an analysis of creativity in music. Base Camp Awardees […]
Jan 25, 2023
Announcing Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards. Base Camp Awardees Sophia Nguyen COE’26, “Neuromodulation of Motor Cortex’s Response to Different Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Pulse Waveforms” Mentor: Mathew Yarossi, Bouvé, Physical Therapy/Movement/Rehab Science This project seeks to use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive […]
Nov 02, 2022
2022 Stanford University Annual Assessment of Author Citations
The following COE professors are among the top scientists worldwide selected by Stanford University representing the top 2 percent of the most-cited scientists with single-year impact in various disciplines. The selection is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above. The list below includes […]

Oct 11, 2022
Ke Wen Selected as Future Leader in Chemical Engineering
Ke (Chloe) Wen, E’22, a BS student in Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry, was selected for the Future Leaders in Chemical Engineering Symposium 2022 organized by North Carolina State University.
Oct 07, 2022
Announcing Fall 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Fall 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards. This extraordinary group of students is taking on a range of exciting projects, from exploring axolotl limb regeneration to building a snake-inspired robot to understanding accessibility on Broadway. ASCENT AWARDS Justin Almendral COE’24, “Wearable Art” Mentor: […]
May 18, 2022
Announcing Summer 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Summer 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards.
Feb 04, 2022
Announcing Spring 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Spring 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards.

Jan 31, 2022
Creating an Oxygen-Controlling Cell Culture (OCC) System
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $250K Partnerships for Innovation – Technology Translation (PFI-TT) grant to ChE Assistant Professor Sidi A. Bencherif for “Cell Culture System with Enzyme-based Control of Oxygen Concentration to Enhance Biomedical Research”. The team includes graduate student Zachary Rogers, CEO of Cryoxia Biosciences, and technology commercialization expert/consultant Dr. James […]
Dec 23, 2021
COE Professors Selected in Stanford University List of Top 2% Scientists Worldwide
The following COE professors are among the top scientists worldwide selected by Stanford University representing the top 2 percent of the most-cited scientists with single-year impact in various disciplines. The selection is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above. The list below includes […]

Dec 13, 2021
I&EC Research’s 2021 Class of Influential Researchers
ChE/BioE Associate Professor Eno Ebong, ChE Assistant Professor Sidi Bencherif, and ChE Associate Professor Richard West were featured on the cover of I&EC Research as 3 of 36 scientists recognized as the 2021 Class of Influential Researchers.