Dr. Carly Filgueira is an Assistant Professor of BioNanoengineering in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute, and a Member of the Houston Methodist Research Institute. She also holds appointments in Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, the Center for BioNanoengineering, and the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Houston Methodist and Weill Cornell Medical College. She maintains active collaborative and academic ties with Texas A&M University, supporting cross‑institutional research and training efforts in biomaterials, mechanobiology, and translational bioengineering.

Dr. Filgueira earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Magna Cum Laude, from The George Washington University. During her undergraduate training, she was awarded the A.D. Britt Scholarship, enabling her to conduct research under Dr. J. Houston Miller. Her early work focused on applying UV–VIS spectroscopy and elastic/inelastic light scattering to investigate interactions between gold nanoparticles and biopolymers, establishing the foundation for her long‑standing interest in nanoscale biological systems.

She completed both her Master’s (2005) and Ph.D. (2009) in Chemistry at Rice University, where she trained under Dr. Naomi Halas. As a pre‑doctoral researcher, Dr. Filgueira fabricated and characterized optically responsive nanostructures and studied their plasmonic behavior. Her graduate work was recognized through multiple honors, including the NIH Keck Nanobiology Training Fellowship, NSF sponsorship to the 55th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, a Dean’s Office Travel Award, and both the Harry B. Weiser Award for Excellence in Service and the Harry B. Weiser Research Award for Research Excellence.

Dr. Filgueira joined Houston Methodist in 2011 as a postdoctoral student under the direction of Dr. Anders Berkenstam and Dr. Paul Webb in collaboration with Dr. Jan-Ake Gustafsson. Her research centered on nuclear hormone receptors, including Estrogen Receptor β and Liver X Receptor β, with an emphasis on small‑molecule screening, direct binding assays, and cell‑based functional analyses.

Today, Dr. Filgueira’s research integrates nanobiology, biomaterials engineering, and vascular mechanobiology to develop deployable biopolymer systems and engineered platforms that modulate cellular and tissue responses within vascular and orthopedic environments. Her work spans in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models and incorporates computational modeling, mechanical testing, and therapeutic profiling and delivery to define biomaterial–tissue interactions and translational applications in cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disease. Her program is supported through competitive mechanisms including an American Heart Association Award and five CDMRP Department of Defense Discovery Awards, and additional foundation and philanthropic support from the Kostas Research Foundation and Golfers Against Cancer, where she serves as Principal Investigator. Across these efforts, she advances multi‑omic, mechanobiological, and biomaterial‑based strategies that drive innovation in cardiovascular and orthopedic translational research.

Dr. Filgueira is currently interested in finding alternative treatment approaches for physiological disorders through sustained release harnessing nanotechnological approaches.