Dr. Shannon Tessier is a transplantation scientist whose research integrates molecular biology, comparative physiology, biomedical engineering, and translational science to advance organ preservation and repair. Her early work on the molecular signaling pathways underlying suspended animation was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, establishing a foundation in stress-response biology and metabolic regulation. She later completed postdoctoral training in the United States as a Canada Postdoctoral Research Awardee, where she developed expertise in cryobiology and biomedical engineering and advanced an innovative, engineering-driven approach to solid organ transplantation. Her contributions were recognized with a Career Development Award from the American Heart Association and a Pathway to Independence (K99/R00) Award from the NIH.

Since establishing her independent laboratory in 2021, Dr. Tessier has built a rapidly expanding research program supported by major NIH funding, including R01 awards from the NHLBI and NIDDK, as well as an R24 from the ORIP, in addition to support from Shriners Children's and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. These efforts led to the launch of the Cardiac Surgery and Translational Engineering Laboratory (CASTLE), where she serves as Co-Director. Her research advances organ repair and preservation across heart, liver, kidney, and vascularized composite allografts, while her leadership and translational impact extend through commercialization activities, executive service in the Society for Cryobiology, participation in NIH and DoD review panels, and her role as Director of Surgical Research for the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Surgery.