W. David Merryman, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Medicine, and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University. His research interests are cardiovascular mechanobiology, cell and soft tissue biomechanics, tissue engineering, and bioengineering ethics. Prior to his arrival at Vanderbilt, Dr. Merryman was an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and prior to that, a Research Associate of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was an American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellow. Dr. Merryman has received an Early Career Award from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, a Scientist Development Grant from the American Heart Association, a NSF CAREER Award, and a K Award from the National Institutes of Health (NHLBI). Additionally, he is guest editor of a special issue of the Journal of Biomechanics on the topic of ‘Cell Mechanobiology’, published January 2010.