Milica Radisic’s recent visit to campus was a full circle moment for McMaster Engineering.
Radisic, a graduate of McMaster’s Chemical Engineering program, was on campus yesterday to deliver a talk to more than 100 alumni, students, staff and faculty about her research and time as a student at McMaster. She also received the 2026 L.W. Shemilt Distinguished Alumni Award. Named after the Faculty’s second Dean and professor of chemical engineering, the award was given to Radisic in recognition of her transformative impact on biomedical innovation and global health.
Before presenting Radisic with the award, Heather Sheardown, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, remarked that this was a particularly meaningful award for her to give because she was a student in Shemilt’s final class at McMaster. And, by coincidence, Radisic noted that it was equally meaningful to receive it because she was a student in Sheardown’s first class as a professor at McMaster.
Radisic, a professor and Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering at the University of Toronto, began her academic career at McMaster after moving to Canada from Serbia. Upon completion of her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, she earned her PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2004. Specializing in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, Radisic’s work has led to major advances in how engineered tissues mimic the human body and is accelerating a global shift away from animal testing toward human-based preclinical models.
Scroll through the photos below as we celebrate Radisic’s accomplishments and toast firsts, lasts and everything in between.
“Like most supervisors, Milica would come up with project ideas, and we, the students, would have to figure out how to make them work. As a PhD student back then — and I am sure this will resonate with many students here — I sometimes thought her ideas were crazy, unreasonable, and simply not feasible. Looking back, I was very fortunate to spend my PhD working with Milica on some of those unreasonable ideas — and even more fortunate to watch those ideas eventually become reality.” – Boyang Zhang, Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering and former PhD student in Radisic’s lab
“Over the course of her career, Milica has not only advanced the frontiers of biomedical engineering, but she has also demonstrated how engineering research can translate into real-world impact. Her work bridges disciplines, institutions and sectors, bringing together engineers, scientists, clinicians and industry partners to address some of the most pressing challenges in human health.” – Heather Sheardown, Dean, Faculty of Engineering
“I can safely say that I would be a completely different person without McMaster. It was really a springboard for me and for that next chapter of education at MIT. The foundations that I got at McMaster were absolutely outstanding and prepared me well for the next steps of my career.” – Milica Radisic, professor and Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering at the University of Toronto
“Beyond her extraordinary scientific achievements, Milica has helped build the infrastructure and technologies needed to move laboratory discoveries closer to clinical and commercial application. Through innovations such as Biowire, AngioChip and other pioneering tissue-engineering platforms, she has helped establish Canada as a global leader in bioengineering and human tissue modelling. She is also a dedicated mentor and leader who has trained and inspired the next generation of researchers and innovators, creating a lasting impact that extends well beyond her own laboratory. Her work continues to shape how we develop therapies, understand disease and accelerate medical innovation around the world.” – Heather Sheardown, Dean, Faculty of Engineering