Students, Fellows & Scholars

• 
  Ph.D. Candidate in Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  Soufiane Aboulhouda
  
  • MentorGeorge Church
  • Focus AreaSynthetic Biology
  • ProjectSomaCode
  • Research InterestsCell Therapy, Immunology, In vivo functional genomics, bioengineering
  • EducationBS, University of California, Santa Cruz
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Seun Araromi, Ph.D.
  
  • MentorsConor Walsh and Rob Wood
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Soft Robotics
  • ProjectWearable digital health devices
  • Research InterestsDevelopment of compliant transducers technologies for wearable digital health systems
  • EducationPh.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, UK, 2012
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Erik Aznauryan
  
  • MentorGeorge Church
  • Focus AreaSynthetic Biology
  • ProjectHarborSite
  • Research InterestsDevelopment of novel genome engineering tools for safer and more efficient gene and cell therapies
  • EducationPh.D., Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, 2021; M.A., Biotechnology, Columbia University, 2014; B.Sc., Biomedical Sciences, Newcastle University, 2013
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Queeny Dasgupta
  
  • MentorDonald E. Ingber
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics, Living Cellular Devices
  • ProjectDeveloping a model for radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis using the alveolus-on-chip platform
  • Research InterestsOrgan-on-chip devices, pulmonary fibrosis, epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, disease modeling
  • EducationPostdoc, Tufts University, USA, July 2018-Jan 2020; Ph.D. Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India, 2018
• 
  Research Associate in Bioengineering
  Irene de Lázaro
  
  • MentorDave Mooney
  • Focus AreaImmuno-Materials
  • Research InterestsNanomaterials, tissue regeneration, immunomodulation
  • EducationPh.D, Regenerative Medicine, University College London, 2015; MSc, Drug Delivery, School of Pharmacy, University of London, 2011; MPharm, Pharmacy, Alcalá University, Madrid, 2009
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Helena de Puig
  
  • MentorJames J. Collins
  • Focus AreaLiving cellular devices, Synthetic biology,
  • ProjectNew tools to detect proteins and nucleic acids
  • Research InterestsPoint-of-care diagnostics, Nanotechnology, Synthetic biology
  • EducationPh.D. Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2017; M.S. Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2013; Eng. Industrial, Institut Quimic de Sarria, URL, 2010
• 
  Graduate Student
  Oliver Dodd
  
  • MentorGeorge Church
  • Focus AreaSynthetic Biology
  • ProjectSomaCode
  • Research InterestsCell therapy, drug delivery, functional genomics
  • EducationB.S. MIT, 2017, Biology
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Jéssica Freire Feitor
  
  • MentorDonald E. Ingber
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics and Diagnostics, Living Cellular Devices, 3D Organ Engineering
  • ProjectProteomics core and Intestine chip for EED
  • Research InterestsProteomics, Intestine Chip, Intestinal Disorders
  • EducationPhD, Biological and Organic Chemistry, Sao Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of Sao Paulo, 2022; B.S. University of São Paulo, Chemistry (Food Emphasis), 2018.
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Debraj Ghose
  
  • MentorDon Ingber
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics and Diagnostics
  • ProjectSloan Matter-to-Life
  • Research InterestsCell and tissue dynamics; In vitro, mathematical, and computational models
  • EducationPhD, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Duke University, 2021
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Tal Gilboa
  
  • MentorDavid Walt
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectDeveloping sensors for diagnostics
  • Research Interests Point-of-care diagnostics, Nanotechnology, Single molecule sensing
  • EducationPh.D., Biomedical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 2018; B.Sc., Biomedical Engineering, Technion, 2012
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Vaskar Gnyawali
  
  • MentorDonald E. Ingber
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • Research InterestsMicrofluidics, Biomedical devices, Drug delivery, Diagnostics
  • EducationPh.D., Mechanical Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, 2018; M.Sc., Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, 2013; B.E., Computer Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal, 2009
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Aakanksha Gulati
  
  • MentorDonald E. Ingber
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectTherapeutic development for Vaginal diseases using Vagina-on-chip
  • Research InterestsOrgan-on-chips, Vaginal Microbiome, Biotherapeutics, Disease Modelling
  • EducationPh.D., Biological Science, IISER Mohali, India, 2020; M.Sc. Biotechnology, Punjab University, India, 2011; B.Sc. Life Sciences, University of Delhi, India, 2009
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow in Bioengineering
  Tetsuhiro Harimoto
  
  • MentorDavid Mooney
  • Focus AreasImmuno-Materials,Synthetic Biology
  • Research InterestsBiomaterials, Synthetic Biology
  • EducationPh.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 2022; B.S. in Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, 2014
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Fan Hong
  
  • MentorPeng Yin
  • Focus AreasMolecular Robotics, Synthetic Biology
  • Research InterestsMolecular Programing, System/Synthetic Biology, Bioinformatics
  • EducationPh.D. Arizona State University, 2019; B.S. Huazhong University of Science and Technology
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Zohreh Izadifar, Ph.D.
  
  • MentorDonald E. Ingber
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics, 3D Organ Engineering
  • Research InterestsBiomimetic tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, 3D bioprinting, advanced biomedical imaging
  • EducationPh.D., Biomedical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 2015; M.Sc. Civil and Geological Engineering-Hydroinformatics, University of Saskatchewan, 2010
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Harkamal Jhajj (Hark)
  
  • MentorGeorge Church
  • Focus AreaSynthetic Biology
  • ProjectDeveloping novel stratergies to efficiently deliver therapeutic cells
  • Research InterestsSynthetic Biology, Immunoengineering, Cell Therapy
  • EducationBiomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2022
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Seongmin Kim
  
  • MentorDonald E. Ingber
  • Focus AreasBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics, Living Cellular Devices
  • ProjectOrgans-on-Chips
  • Research InterestsOrgan-on-chips, Tissue engineering, Human microbiome, Gut-brain axis, Personalized medicine, Pluripotent stem cells
  • EducationPh.D., Bioengineering, The University of Tokyo, 2019
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Navaneeth Krishna Rajeeva Pandian
  
  • MentorChristopher S Chen
  • Focus Area3D Organ Engineering
  • ProjectDeveloping blood and lymphatic capillary beds on chip
  • Research InterestsMechanobiology, vascularbiology, organ-on-achip, thrombosis
  • EducationPh.D. Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, ME Mechanical Engineering , IISc Bangalore, India, BTech Mechanical Engineering, Kerala University, India
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Ku Min Wen
  
  • MentorDonald E. Ingber
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectModel Human Immune Responses on organ-on-chip to test therapeutic efficacy
  • Research InterestsOrgan-on-a-chip, Model Human Immune Responses, Study Vaccine-Induced Immune Responses, Memory Responses, Vaccine Design against Infectious Disease and Cancer, Gene and Cell Therapy, Viral Vectors, Immunoassay Development
  • EducationPh.D., Infection and Immunity, Institute Pasteur, Paris, France, 2020; B.Sc., Biotechnology, Imperial College London, UK, 2016.
• 
  Postdoctoral Research Fellow
  Christos Kyprianou
  
  • MentorDon Ingber
  • ProjectBone Marrow-on-a-Chip
  • Research InterestsOrgans-on-a-chip, Synthetic Biology, Developmental Biology, Biophysics
  • EducationBSc, Genetics at the University of Leicester, UK
    MSc, Clinical Embryology at the University of Oxford, UK
    MRes, Developmental Biology at the University of Cambridge, UK
    Ph.D., Developmental Biology at the University of Cambridge, UK
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Tina Lebar
  
  • MentorGeorge Church
  • Focus AreaSynthetic Biology
  • ProjectHarborSite
  • Research InterestsEngineering molecular tools for mammalian synthetic biology and genome editing
  • EducationPhD Biochemistry and molecular biology, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) 2017
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Di Liu
  
  • MentorPeng Yin
  • Focus AreasMolecular Robotics, Synthetic Biology
  • ProjectNanotechnology-enabled RNA structural biology
  • Research InterestsDNA/RNA nanotechnology, RNA structures
  • EducationPh.D. Chemistry, the University of Chicago, 2016; B.S. Chemistry, Nanjing University, 2011
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Junzhe Lou
  
  • MentorDavid Mooney
  • Focus AreasAdaptive Material Technologies, Bioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectSingle cell encapsulation in microgels
  • Research InterestsBiomaterials, Microgel, Mechanobiology
  • EducationPh.D., Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, 2019;
    M.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, 2016;
    B.E., Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, 2013
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Xiaokang Lun
  
  • MentorPeng Yin
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics Molecular Robotics
  • ProjectDNA nano-device for the sensing and quantification of biomolecules and their dynamic behaviors
  • Research InterestsDNA molecular robotics; Systems biology; Single-cell analysis; Cell signaling
  • EducationPh.D. Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, 2018;
    M.S. Biomedical Sciences, University of Amsterdam, 2013;
    B.S. Biology, Wuhan University, 2011
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Yuncheng Man
  
  • MentorDonald E. Ingber
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • Research InterestsOrgan-on-chips, Point-of-care diagnostics, Disease modeling, Drug testing
  • Education Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University, 2021; B.S., Dalian University of Technology, 2016
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Dionis Minev
  
  • MentorWilliam Shih
  • Focus AreasMolecular Robotics, Synthetic Biology
  • ProjectLow-cost, ultrasensitive diagnostic platform for detecting nucleic acids and proteins
  • Research InterestsDNA nanotechnology, ultrasensitive diagnostics, synthetic biology
  • EducationPh.D., Engineering Sciences, Harvard University, 2020; M.Sc., Medical Technology and Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 2015; B.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 2012
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Alican Ozkan
  
  • MentorDonald E. Ingber
  • Focus Area3D Organ Engineering, Bioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics, Living Cellular Devices
  • ProjectCancer Research UK
  • Research InterestsMicrofluidics, Organ-on-a-chips, Biomimetic Tissue Engineering, Hepatology, Gastroenterology
  • Education Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 2020; M.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, Bilkent University, 2015; B.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, METU - NCC, 2013
• 
  Research Fellow
  Alex Plesa
  
  • MentorGeorge Church
  • Focus AreaSynthetic Biology, Bioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectIchor
  • Research InterestsRejuvenation, gene therapy, machine learning
  • EducationPh.D., Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, 2022; B.A. Colby College, Biology & Chemistry, 2017
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Rahul Prabhu
  
  • MentorDonald Ingber
  • Focus AreaComputational Design & Discovery
  • ProjectMatter to life program: Uncovering principles of self assembly
  • Research InterestsComputational/Mathematical modeling, Geometric analysis, Rigidity theory, Molecular modeling
  • Education Ph.D., University of Florida, 2021; M.Tech., IIIT-Bangalore, 2012; B.E., Bangalore University, 2010
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Sukanya Punthambaker
  
  • MentorGeorge Church
  • Focus AreaSynthetic Biology
  • Research InterestsNanopore sequencing, in situ sequencing, synthetic biology, protein engineering
  • EducationPh.D., Molecular Biology, University of Michigan; M.Sc., Biotechnology, University of Mysore
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Joanna Robaszewski
  
  • MentorPeng Yin
  • Focus AreasBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics, Molecular Robotics, Synthetic Biology
  • ProjectsDNA bionanotechology, advanced tissue imaging, rapid diagnostics
  • Research InterestsDNA nanotechnology, advanced bioimaging, reliable rapid diagnostics, programmable biomaterials
  • EducationPh.D., Physics, Brandeis University, 2021; M.S., Physics, Brandeis University 2015; B.S., Physics, California Institute of Technology, 2013
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Justin Rolando
  
  • MentorDavid Walt
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectsDevelopment of Point-of-Care single-molecule diagnostic tools for infectious diseases and oncology
  • Research InterestsUsing single-molecule quantification strategies to improve the quality of medical diagnostics by predicting the early onset of disease, monitoring treatment response, stratifying patients, and conducting longitudinal studies of human health. These techniques will increase access to the health-care system via Point-of-Care diagnostics.
  • EducationPh.D., Caltech with Rustem Ismagilov (Chemistry, 2019); Double BA, Univ Colorado - Boulder with Bruce Eaton (BioChem, MCD-Bio, Minor Chem, 2009).
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Shira Roth
  
  • MentorDavid Walt
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectBrain-derived extracellular vesicles for analysis of treatment resistant Major Depressive Disorder, Detecting active pulmonary tuberculosis using single molecule arrays
  • Research InterestsDisease diagnostics
  • EducationPh.D., Bioengineering, Bar-Ilan University, Israel, 2022; M.Sc., Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University, Israel, 2013; B.Sc., Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University, Israel, 2011
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Fabian Schnitter
  
  • MentorWilliam Shih
  • Focus AreasBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics, Molecular Robotics, Diagnostics Accelerator
  • ProjectUltra-sensitive protein detection through kinetic proofreading
  • Research InterestsDNA nanotechnology
  • EducationPhD, Supramolecular Chemistry, TUM, 2022
• 
  Graduate Research Fellow
  Michael Shadpour
  
  • MentorGeorge Church & Ed Boyden
  • Focus AreaSynthetic Biology, Bioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectIchor
  • Research InterestsRejuvenation, Bioengineering, Cryobiology
  • EducationPh.D. MIT, Biology, Ongoing; A.B. Harvard College, Chemical and Physical Biology, 2020
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow in Molecular Robotics
  Kuanwei Sheng
  
  • MentorPeng Yin
  • Focus AreaMolecular Robotics
  • ProjectHighly Multiplex Imaging; Spatial Omics
  • Research InterestsDNA Technologies; Spatial Omics
  • EducationPh.D., Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 2019; B.sc., Biology, Wuhan University, China, 2013.
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Woojung Shin
  
  • MentorsJames J. Collins; Donald E. Ingber
  • Focus AreasSynthetic Biology; 3D Organ Engineering
  • ProjectInvestigation of the carcinogenic effects of bactericidal antibiotics in the gut
  • Research InterestsSynthetic biology, Host-microbiome interaction, Organ-on-a-chip
  • EducationPh.D., The University of Texas at Austin, Biomedical Engineering, 2020; M.S., Sungkyunkwan University, Chemical Engineering, 2015; B.S., Sungkyunkwan University, Chemical Engineering, 2014
• 
  Postdoctoral Researcher
  Prakash Shrestha
  
  • MentorsWesley P. Wong and William M. Shih
  • Focus AreaMolecular Robotics
  • ProjectDeveloping methods for single-molecule proteomics
  • Research InterestsSingle molecule technologies, DNA nanotechnology, Mechanobiology
  • EducationPh.D. Chemistry, Kent State University, Ohio, USA, 2018; M.Sc. Physical Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2010
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Luis R. Soenksen
  
  • MentorJames J. Collins
  • Focus AreasLiving Cellular Devices, Synthetic Biology, 3D Organ Engineering
  • ProjectsWearable Synthetic Biology, Medical Devices, CRISPR-Electronics, Novel Sensors
  • Research InterestsWearables, Synthetic Biology, Medical Devices, Electronic sensors, Organs-on-chips, Microfluidics
  • EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D. Candidate Mechanical Engineering, 2020; Johns Hopkins University
    MSE Graduate - Bioengineering Innovation and Design, 2012; Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM)
    B.S. Biomedical Engineering, 2010
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Megan Sperry
  
  • MentorsMichael Levin & Richard Novak
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectBiostasis
  • Research InterestsComplex systems, cognition, adaptive plasticity of the brain & other tissues, learning & memory
  • EducationPh.D., Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 2019; M.Phil., Structural Biomechanics, Imperial College London, 2014; B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 2012
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Anna Stejskalová
  
  • MentorDonald Ingber
  • Focus Areas3D Organ Engineering, Bioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectCervix-on-a-chip
  • Research InterestsOrgan-on-a-chip, Women's health, Mechanobiology
  • EducationPh.D., Bioengineering, Imperial College London, 2019; MSc, Trinity College Dublin & University of Groningen, 2014
• 
  Postdoctoral Research Fellow
  Hanquan Su
  
  • MentorPeng Yin
  • Focus AreasLiving Cellular Devices, Molecular Robotics, Synthetic Biology
  • ProjectHighly multiplexed, DNA-based super-resolution imaging
  • Research InterestsDNA nanotechnology, DNA-based bioimaging, Super-resolution imaging
  • EducationPh.D. in Chemistry, Emory University, 2020;
    B.S. in Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 2014
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Jiuhai Wang
  
  • MentorDonald Ingber
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics and Diagnostics
  • ProjectAlzheimer's Disease-on-Chip, Brain Targeting Program
  • Research InterestsBlood-brain barrier (BBB)-on-Chip, Alzheimer's disease models, BBB function in brain diseases, BBB shuttles for brain transport.
  • Education Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2020
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Gina Wang
  
  • MentorDavid Walt
  • Focus AreaBioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • ProjectImaging of Single Circulating Extracellular Vesicles
  • Research InterestsDisease diagnostics
  • EducationPh.D. Biophysics department, Johns Hopkins University
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Nicole Weckman
  
  • MentorJames J. Collins
  • Focus Area Bioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
  • Research InterestsPoint-of-care diagnostics, CRISPR/Cas systems, DNA nanotechnology, single-molecule nanopore sensing, BioMEMS, synthetic biology
  • EducationPh.D. in Engineering, University of Cambridge, 2018; MEng in Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 2013; BASc in Nanotechnology Engineering, University of Waterloo, 2011
• 
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Mohamed Yafia
  
  • MentorDonald Ingber
  • Focus AreaAdaptive Material Technologies, Bioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics, Immuno-Materials
  • ProjecteRapid: Multiplexed electrochemical sensors for fast, accurate, portable diagnostics
  • Research InterestsPoint-of-Care Testing, Microfluidics and Biosensing
  • EducationPh.D., University of British Columbia, 2017; MSc and BSc, Cairo University, Mechanical Engineering, 2011 and 2009
• 
  Technology Development Fellow
  Yunhao Zhai
  Yunhao Zhai received his dual B.S. in Bioengineering and B.A. in English from Shandong Agricultural University, dual M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from East China Normal University and Ecoles Normales Supérieures, and Ph.D. in Immunology from Aix Marseille University. His PhD work was focusing on investigating the novel combination of therapeutics targeting T cell...