Huakun Xu, PhD, MS, FADM
Professor and Chair, Department of Biomaterials and Regenerative Dental Medicine
University of Maryland School of Dentistry
Huakun Xu has been a transformative force in the field of dental biomaterials and regenerative medicine since joining the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) faculty in 2007.
Dr. Xu’s research portfolio is prolific, with over 440 peer-reviewed publications, nearly 35,000 citations, and a Google Scholar h-index of 108, metrics place him among the global leaders in his field.
He has consistently anticipated the next frontier in oral health science. He and his collaborators are currently funded by two National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grants and a Maryland Stem Cell grant, focusing on hydrolysis-resistant therapeutic resins, injectable nanostructured scaffolds and stem cells for craniofacial bone regeneration, and stem-cell-based strategies for dentin repair. These innovations have helped to redefine clinical paradigms and bridge the gap between bench science and patient care.
Xu’s team and collaborators aim to integrate materials science with translational dentistry. With their work on metformin-releasing biomaterials, they combine creativity and practicality by repurposing a widely used drug in stem cell-scaffold constructs to accelerate bone healing.
As chair of UMSOD’s Department of Biomaterials and Regenerative Dental Medicine, he champions interdisciplinary collaboration and academic rigor. Under his leadership, the department has become a hub for innovation, attracting multiple NIH grants and forging partnerships across engineering, medicine, and industry.
With a strong commitment to graduate education, Xu’s team has mentored more than 50 PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom now hold prominent positions worldwide.
He and his team have received numerous honors from the International Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (IADR), including two William J. Gies Awards, the Distinguished Scientist Award, and the Arthur R. Frechette Prosthodontic Research Award.
He also was honored with IADR’s 2018 Isaac Schour Memorial Award, which is intended to confer the highest honor in the field of dental and craniofacial research and elevate scientists who bring about significant advances in oral health.
In addition, Xu was recognized as a University of Maryland, Baltimore Champion of Excellence in 2014 and named Maryland Innovator of the Year by The Daily Record in 2009.
Xu is an editorial board member of the Journal of Dentistry, Bone Research, International Journal of Oral Science, Journal of Biomedical Materials, and Dental Materials. He is a fellow of the Academy of Dental Materials and a member of IADR and the American Association for Dental Research.
At UMSOD, he serves on key committees, directs five core courses, and shapes curricula that prepare future dentists and scientists to lead in a rapidly evolving field.
Xu earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Zhejiang University in China; his master’s in solid state physics from Kansas State University; and his PhD in materials engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park.
From 1993 to 1996, he conducted postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Md., then became project leader at NIST’s Paffenbarger Research Center from 1996 to 2007 before joining UMSOD.
