Christian Puttlitz
Director
Dr. Puttlitz and his team have global interests in how engineering mechanics can be applied towards solving orthopaedic-related problems. These interests typically include both experimental and computational modeling in order to better understand the underlying tissue-level mechanics and related mechanobiology. Current areas of investigation in his lab include non-linear viscoelastic modeling of soft tissues, technology development for prediction of fracture healing outcomes, and additive manufacturing for scaffold and regenerative medicine application.
Dr. Puttlitz received his BS in Material Science and Engineering Mechanics from Michigan State University, his MS in Bioengineering from Clemson University and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa. Dr. Puttlitz went on to become a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Orthopaedic Bioengineering Research Laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He joined the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery faculty at UCSF as an Assistant Professor in 2001 and directed the Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory at the San Francisco General Hospital. In 2005, he accepted a faculty position at Colorado State University in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and is currently appointed as a Full Professor. He also holds secondary appointments in the School of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Clinical Sciences. In addition, he was awarded a university-wide Monfort Professorship in May, 2011.
Dr. Puttlitz enjoys many of the outdoor activities that Colorado has to offer – snowboarding, hiking, mountain biking, and stand-up paddle boarding.