Elizabeth Gillies has expertise is in the design and synthesis of new polymeric materials and their application in areas including drug delivery, tissue engineering, and the development of new biointerfaces (including antibacterial surfaces). Her particular focus is on the development of new mechanisms for polymer degradation and imparting stimuli-responsive properties as well as the introduction of functional groups into polymers for the conjugation to drugs and other biomolecules. Her group also uses various processes to assemble polymeric materials into nanoparticles, microparticles, gels, and assemblies such as micelles and vesicles and is applying them to cell and drug delivery to joints.