Bryce Shirk

Bryce Shirk, M.S., is a Ph.D. candidate in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, where he conducts research in biomaterials under the mentorship of Dr. Whitney Stoppel in the Stoppel Lab. Bryce earned his master’s degree in entomology from University of Florida . He is a recipient of the prestigious USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Predoctoral Fellowship, supporting his innovative work on alternative silk production systems. Bryce’s research focuses on developing new methods for producing natural and genetically modified silk fibers using the Indianmeal moth (Plodia interpunctella). His work explores the untapped potential of Plodia silk as a next-generation biomaterial for biomedical engineering applications.