Gabriel Converse

Associate Professor

Contact information

3048 Rathbone Hall
glconverse@k-state.edu

Education

• Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, 2008
• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Missouri – Rolla , 2003

Professional experience

Dr. Gabriel Converse received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri – Rolla in 2003. He attended the University of Notre Dame for his graduate studies, working in the field of orthopaedic biomaterials under the direction of Dr. Ryan Roeder, and received his doctorate in 2008. After completing his graduate work, Converse joined the research faculty at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, where he worked in the area of cardiovascular tissue engineering. While at Children’s Mercy, his primary academic appointment was within the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, and he was also an affiliate with the bioengineering program at the University of Kansas. Converse left Children’s Mercy in 2018 and transitioned to the medical device industry. He joined Cook Advanced Technologies, where he was involved in the early-stage research and development of a variety of medical device concepts. In August of 2025, he joined the faculty at Kansas State University.

Research

The overall objective of Converse’s research program is to develop novel biomaterial platforms that can be leveraged in meaningful devices to address unmet clinical needs. The current focus of his lab is cardiovascular tissue engineering, with a particular emphasis on the development of the tissue engineered heart valve (TEHV).

Please contact Dr. Converse if you are interested in collaboration or joining the research group.

Academic highlights

Converse has authored and/or co-authored more than 25 peer-reviewed articles and is an inventor on multiple awarded patents and patent applications. His patented inventions include a porous, composite material developed during his graduate studies that now serves as the material platform for a 510k cleared spinal fusion cage. While at Children’s Mercy Hospital, Converse received grant funding from NIH, the Midwest Cancer Alliance and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Kansas. Converse also holds the Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) in medical devices from the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society. His teaching interests are in the areas of medical device development and regulation, biomaterials and tissue engineering.