Biofabrication is one of the fastest-growing fields in biotechnology. Students can enter at multiple points — from introductory certifications to advanced graduate research. Our member institutions provide the training needed to prepare for jobs in lab research, biomanufacturing, and beyond.
What Makes Biofabrication Distinct?
Biofabrication is at the crossroads of biology, engineering, and advanced manufacturing. While related fields like biotechnology or biomedical engineering focus on developing therapies or designing medical devices, biofabrication is specifically about using living cells, biomaterials, and advanced tools to build tissues, organs, and biologically relevant systems.
Here’s what makes it stand out:
Living Systems + Manufacturing Unlike traditional manufacturing, biofabrication builds with cells, tissues, and biomaterials rather than plastics or metals. Processes often combine 3D bioprinting, tissue engineering, and biomaterials science to create living structures.
Interdisciplinary by Design Biofabrication integrates skills from life sciences, engineering, materials science, and manufacturing technology. Students and workers may come from many starting points — biology, chemistry, engineering, computer science — and converge in this field.
From Lab to Industry Biofabrication bridges academic research and industrial application. Training must prepare students for both research labs (tissue engineering, regenerative medicine) and manufacturing environments (biomanufacturing facilities, quality assurance, regulatory compliance).
High-Growth, Emerging Careers Jobs in biofabrication are new and evolving, ranging from biomanufacturing technicians to tissue engineers.
Sample pathways
Because the field is so new, educational pathways must be flexible and stackable, allowing learners to enter through certificates or job training and build up to advanced research roles.
