Bioengineering Program Attracts Top Talent, Transdisciplinary Researchers
The bioengineering PhD program continues to expand, adding 13 new graduate students to the innovative Knight Campus.
This year’s class includes students with many transdisciplinary research interests, from applying machine learning to the development of therapeutics, to using mechanical engineering skills to regenerate bone tissue.
Our new students recognize our mission to deliver societal impacts, and they are eager to start making a difference.
Hometown: Guayaquil, Ecuador
Undergraduate Studies: Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (2021)
"Training at the Knight Campus takes a very different approach than other institutions. Starting with Impact Week, trainees find themselves in a safe and fun environment where they can develop cohort cohesion while mastering the art of storytelling. Through the Research Immersion system, students can also take time to explore research in other labs, helping them diversify their skill set while establishing connections for future collaborations. "
Hometown: Marietta, Georgia
Undergraduate Major: Biomedical Engineering, Mississippi State University (2022)
"A few of my favorite courses during my undergrad were my mechanical engineering classes. For an unexplainable reason, they just made perfect sense to me. Bone is where our bodies get their structure and operate similarly to the scaffolds in the buildings around us. I am interested in learning how to apply my mechanical and biological engineering backgrounds to regenerate bone tissue and explore how various external forces affect its integrity."
Hometown: Moscow, Idaho
Undergraduate Major: Biological Engineering, University of Idaho (2022)
"One of the biggest takeaways from my first visit to the Knight Campus was a genuine feeling from faculty and staff that I mattered. Faculty didn’t just care about my potential to conduct good research, but they also engaged in my own personal and future interests. My overarching passion is to provide better treatments and strategies for helping people suffering from osteoarthritis (a degenerative joint disease), through the application of immunomodulatory cells, regenerative rehabilitation, and innovative biomaterials."
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Undergraduate Major: Biochemistry, Western Washington University (2021)
"I am fascinated by the potential to manipulate cell signaling cascades on the protein structure level. By rationally designing protein structures using protein design software, we can tune and manipulate pre-existing proteins in the body to function better, or to even have entirely new functions. My goal is to engage in therapeutic research to develop new methods for manipulating cell signaling cascades."
Hometown: Opelousas, Louisiana
Undergraduate Major: Biomedical Engineering, Mississippi State University (2022)
"While the beautiful campus and state-of-the-art facilities played a role, I chose the Knight Campus because of the people. In my conversations with both faculty and students, it was clear that the Knight Campus is filled with driven scientists who focus on translational research for societal impact. I am interested in tissue-engineered disease models to better understand the factors that affect disease progression and treatment across wider populations."
Hometown: Salt Point, New York
Undergraduate Major: Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University (2022)
"I chose the Knight Campus for its emphasis on collaboration and scientific advancement. I am interested in regenerative rehabilitation and immunomodulation. As someone who has led an active lifestyle, I have always been intrigued by the concept of movement as medicine and am excited by a field that harnesses rehabilitative movement to improve the outcome of bone and muscle injuries. When I’m not in the lab, I can be found on my road bike exploring the hills southwest of Eugene."
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Undergraduate Major: Psychology, University of Minnesota (2016)
"While doing my Master's in Bioinformatics and Genomics at the University of Oregon. I worked on a computational protein-protein interaction prediction project with Dr. Parisa Hosseinzadeh. I enjoyed working with her and wanted to stay at the Knight Campus for my doctorate. My research interests are in using machine learning and computational tools to speed up the production of therapeutics. Particularly in-silico de-novo cyclic peptide design. I want to take these newly developed computational tools we are creating in the lab and apply them to neurodegenerative diseases."
Hometown: Glen Rock, New Jersey
Undergraduate Major: Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester (2022)
"I’m interested in any research relating to the human body’s locomotion from the micro scale to the macro scale. This usually manifests itself in biomechanics, tissue engineering, and musculoskeletal research. Athletics has been a massive part of my life and I want to help make being active safer for the general population through the use of medical devices and technologies developed in the lab. After graduation, I’d like to work in the crossroads between sports engineering and bioengineering, trying to advance the safety and accessibility of sport through the reduction and regeneration of long-term injuries."
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Undergraduate Major: Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech (2022)
"The innovative and collaborative spirit of the Knight Campus is unavoidable. It’s the perfect place for aspiring scientists to hone our skillsets, accelerate our careers, and maximize our potential for real-world impact. A lot of my time running Cross Country and Track in college was spent dealing with injuries, which made me realize how important physical well-being is for every other facet of human health. This experience led to my passion for Regenerative Rehabilitation, where we combine physical rehabilitation regimens with bioactive molecules, stem cells, and biomaterials to enhance functional recovery from chronic musculoskeletal diseases and injuries."
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