Benjamin Schuster

Benjamin Schuster began his faculty career at Rutgers University in January 2019 and was promoted to associate professor in 2026. Schuster’s research focuses on developing novel protein-based biomaterials for applications in biotechnology and in understanding human disease. His technologies are engineered from proteins that self-assemble, with a focus on intrinsically disordered proteins and biomolecular condensates. His lab utilizes approaches from bio-inspired soft materials, synthetic biology, and biophysics. Dr. Schuster completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in the lab of Daniel A. Hammer, Ennis Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. Schuster received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota. His Ph.D. research in bionanotechnology was supervised by Prof. Justin Hanes, and his undergraduate advisor was Prof. David Odde. Schuster is the recipient of an NRSA postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, and an NIGMS MIRA award from the NIH.

• NSF CAREER Award, 2023 - present
• National Institutes of Health NIGMS MIRA Award, 2020 - present
• National Institutes of Health NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2016 - 2018

• 2026-present: Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers University
• 2019-2026: Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers University
• 2019-present: Member of the Graduate Faculty, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University

• Postdoctoral Fellowship (NIH NRSA awardee), University of Pennsylvania, 2014-2018
• Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 2014
• B.S., Biomedical Engineering (with high distinction), University of Minnesota, 2008