Samuel I. Stupp (b. Jan. 9, 1951 in San José, Costa Rica), is a Board of Trustees Professor of Materials Science, Chemistry, and Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.

One of his most notable discoveries is a broad class of peptide amphiphiles that self-assemble into high aspect ratio nanofibers with extensive applications in regenerative medicine.

He subsequently went to Northwestern University and earned a PhD under Stephen Carr in 1977, studying the molecular origins of electrical polarization in polymers.

Stupp began his independent research career in 1977 as an assistant professor at Northwestern University, but after three years moved to UIUC where he held appointments in Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry and Bioengineering.

In 2000 he was also appointed the Director of the newly formed Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine (IBNAM) at Northwestern’s medical school campus in downtown Chicago.

In 2001, Stupp and postdoctoral fellow Jeffrey Hartgerink discovered a new class of peptide amphiphiles with the ability to self-assemble into nanoscale filaments that mimic components of the extracellular matrix.