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Adult stem cells reside in unique niches that provide vital cues for their survival, self-renewal and differentiation. In order to better understand the contribution of substrate stiffness to neural stem/progenitor cell (NSPC) differentiation and proliferation, a photopolymerizable methacrylamide chitosan (MAC) biomaterial was developed. Photopolymerizable MAC is particularly compelling for the study of the central nervous system stem cell niche because Young's elastic modulus (E_Y) can be tuned from less than 1kPa to greater than 30kPa. Additionally, the numerous free amine functional groups enable inclusion of biochemical signaling molecules that, together with the mechanical environment, influence cell behavior. Herein, NSPCs proliferated on MAC substrates with Young's elastic moduli below 10kPa and exhibited maximal proliferation on 3.5kPa surfaces. Neuronal differentiation was favored on the softest …