Alumni

Postdocs and Medical Fellows

Gabriel Rodriguez Rivera, PhD, Fall 2022-Summer 2024
Project: Injectable Hydrogels for Cardiac Tissue Repair
Current: Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Villanova University

Taimoor Qazi, PhD, Spring 2019-Summer 2022
Project: Engineered Granular Hydrogels for Endogeneous Tissue Repair
Current: Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University

Claire Witherel, PhD, Fall 2019-Fall 2021
Project: Drug Delivery in Osteoarthritis
Current: Medical Science Liason, Integra LifeSciences

Claudia Loebel, MD, PhD, Summer 2016-Summer 2021 
Project: Visualizing and Engineering Cell-Hydrogel Interactions  
Current: Assistant Professor, Materials Science & Engineering, University of Michigan

Andy Daly, PhD, Spring 2018-Spring 2021 
Project: Biofabrication in Cardiac Tissue Models  
Current: Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, NUI Galway

Katrina Wisdom, PhD, Fall 2018-Spring 2020 
Project: Injectable Hydrogels in Cartilage Repair  
Current: Associate Director, Genomic Sciences, GSK

Mikyung Shin, PhD, Spring 2018-Summer 2019 
Project: Gallol-based HA Hydrogels for Injection and 3D Printing  
Current: Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University

Kwang Hoon Song, PhD, Summer 2015-Summer 2019 
Project: 3D Printing and Electrospinning of Structured Hydrogels 
Current: Assistant Professor, Bioengineering, Incheon National University

Sebastian Vega, PhD, Spring 2015-Summer 2018 
Project: Screening Hydrogel Microenvironments for Cartilage Repair  
Current: Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University

Christopher Highley, PhD, Fall 2012-Fall 2017 
Project: 3D-printing of Hydrogels  
Current: Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia

Yi-Cheun Yeh, PhD, Fall 2014-Summer 2017 
Project: Biodegradable and Dynamic Elastomers  
Current: Associate Professor, Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University

Adrianne Rosales, PhD, Fall 2014-Summer 2017 (visiting postdoc) 
Project: Dynamic Photoresponsive Hydrogels  
Current: Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, University of Texas Austin

Kalil Abdullah, MD, Summer 2016-Summer 2017 
Project: Injectable Hydrogels to treat Glioblastoma  
Current: Neuro-Oncology/Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Su-Chin Heo, PhD, Summer 2015-Fall 2016 
Project: Cell Migration through Fibrous Matrices  
Current: Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania

Dawn Pedrotty, MD, PhD, Summer 2015-Summer 2016 
Project: Injectable Hydrogels in Cardiac Repair  
Current: Assistant Professor of Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University

Steven Caliari, PhD, Fall 2013-Summer 2016 
Project: Dynamic Hydrogels to Probe Mechanotransduction in Disease  
Current: Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia

Julianne Holloway, PhD, Summer 2012-Fall 2015 
Project: Engineered Hydrogels for Musculoskeletal Applications  
Current: Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, Arizona State University

Brendan Purcell, PhD, Summer 2013-Summer 2014 
Project: MMP-Degradable Hydrogels for Cardiac Repair  
Current: CEO, Prohibix

Will Gramlich, PhD, Spring 2012-Summer 2013 
Project: Spatiotemporal Patterning in Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels  
Current: Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Maine

Murat Guvendiren, PhD, Summer 2008-Summer 2013 
Project: Cellular Interactions with Dynamic and Patterned Materials  
Current: Associate Professor, Chemical & Materials Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Danielle Soranno, MD, Summer 2011-Summer 2013 
Project: Injectable Hydrogels to treat Obstructive Nephropathy  
Current: Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine

Liming Bian, PhD, Fall 2009-Summer 2012 
Project: MSC Chondrogenesis and Hypertrophy in Engineered Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels  
Current: Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, South China University of Technology

Harini Sundararaghavan, PhD, Fall 2008-Summer 2011 
Project: Engineering Fibrous Hydrogel Scaffolds to Modulate Cellular Interactions  
Current: Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University

Manoj Charati, PhD, Fall 2008-Fall 2010 
Project: Engineered Polypeptide-based Hydrogels  
Current: Principal Scientist, Merck

Sujata Sahoo, PhD, Fall 2006-Fall 2007 
Project: Synthesis of Hydrolytically Degradable Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels 
Current: Data Scientist


PhD Students

Karen Xu, PhD, NIH F30 Predoctoral Fellow, Fall 2020 to Spring 2024 
Dissertation: Engineering Hydrogel Microstructure to Promote Meniscus Repair
Current: Finishing MD, UPenn

Victoria Muir, PhD, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Summer 2018 to Summer 2022 
Dissertation: Designing Hyaluronic Acid Granular Hydrogels for Biomaterials Applications
Current: Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton University

Margaret Prendergast, PhD, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Fall 2018 to Summer 2022 (currently: J&J/Janssen)
Dissertation: Fundamentals and Application of 3D Suspension Bath Bioprinting for the Engineering of Meniscal Tissue
Current: Scientist, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson

Selen Uman, PhD, AHA Predoctoral Fellow, Fall 2018 to Summer 2022 (currently: finishing MD, UPenn)
Dissertation: Injectable Hydrogels to Deliver Extracellular Vesicles for Treatment after Myocardial Infarction
Current: Medical Resident, UCSF

Jonathan Galarraga, PhD, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Fall 2016 to Fall 2021 (currently: Vivodyne)
Dissertation: Biofabrication Approaches with Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels for Cartilage Repair 
Current: Senior Scientist, Vivodyne

Minna Chen, PhD, AHA Fellow, Fall 2013-Summer 2019 
Dissertation: Injectable Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels for the Delivery of Cell-based Therapeutics to the Heart 
Current: Associate Consultant, ZS

Mi Kwon, PhD, NSF Fellow, Spring 2014-Summer 2019 
Dissertation: Engineering the Interface: Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels that Mediate MSC Chondrogenesis for Cartilage Tissue Engineering 
Current: Director of Clinical Science, egnite Health

Josh Mealy, PhD, NSF Fellow, Spring 2014-Summer 2018 
Dissertation: Guest-host Interactions to Engineer Injectable Hydrogels for Controlled Degradation and Release for Cardiac Repair 
Current: Principal Scientist, GSK

Leo Wang, PhD, NIH F30 Fellow, Fall 2014-Spring 2018 
Dissertation: Injectable Hydrogels to Deliver RNA Interference Therapeutics for Myocardial Infarction 
Current: Dermatology Resident, University of Pennsylvania

Christopher Rodell, PhD, AHA Fellow, Spring 2012-Summer 2016 
Dissertation: Development of Shear-thinning and Self-healing Hydrogels through Guest-Host Interactions for Biomedical Applications 
Current: Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University

Ryan Wade, PhD, NSF Fellow, Fall 2010-Summer 2015 
Dissertation: Engineering Extracellular Matrix Signals into Fibrous Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels 
Current: Manager, Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Exponent

Shauna Dorsey, PhD, Spring 2011-Fall 2014 
Dissertation: MRI Evaluation of Injectable Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Therapy to Attenuate Myocardial Infarct Remodeling 
Current: Project Manager, United States Army

Iris Kim Marklein, PhD, NSF Fellow, Spring 2010-Summer 2014 
Dissertation: Engineered Fibrous Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels for Cartilage Repair 
Current: Associate Director for Policy, Office of Tissue and Advanced Therapies, FDA

Brendan Purcell, PhD, Spring 2009-Summer 2013 
Dissertation: Injectable Hydrogels for Local Protein Delivery to Engineer Myocardial Remodeling 
Current: CEO, Prohibix

Ross A. Marklein, PhD, NSF Fellow, Fall 2007-Summer 2012 
Dissertation: Spatially and Temporally Controlled Mechanical Signals to Direct Human Stem Cell Behavior 
Current: Assistant Professor, Chemical, Materials, & Biomedical Engineering, University of Georgia

Elena Kichula (Tous), PhD, Spring 2009-Summer 2012 
Dissertation: Tunable Acellular Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Systems to Attenuate Left Ventricular Remodeling 
Current: CMC Program Management Lead, Spark Therapeutics

Sudhir Khetan, PhD, NSF Fellow, Spring 2008-Summer 2012 
Dissertation: Engineering Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Degradation to Control Cellular Interactions and Adult Stem Cell Fate in 3D 
Current: Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Union College

Joshua S. Katz, PhD, NSF Fellow, Spring 2007-Spring 2011 
Dissertation: Chemical Modifications to Vesicle Forming Diblock Copolymers: Development of Smart Functional Polymersome Membranes 
Current: Senior Principal Scientist, IFF

Jamie L. Ifkovits, PhD, AHA Predoctoral Fellow, Spring 2006-Summer 2010 
Dissertation: Acellular and Radically Polymerized Biodegradable Materials to Control Tissue Interactions after Myocardial Infarction 
Current: Scientific Director, GSK

Darren M. Brey, PhD, Fall 2005-Summer 2010 
Dissertation: Combinatorial Polymer Synthesis and High-throughput Screening Technology to Identify Optimal Approaches for Mineralized Tissue Engineering 
Current: Lecturer, University of Louisville

Cindy Chung, PhD, NSF Fellow, Summer 2004-Summer 2009 
Dissertation: Development and Characterization of Photocrosslinkable Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels for Cartilage Regeneration 
Current: Senior Scientist, Seran Bioscience


Visiting PhD Students

Stefan Pendlmayr, Fall 2023, (PhD, Aarhus University) 
Manuela Garay Sarmiento, Fall 2022, (PhD, DWI Leibniz) 
Bárbara Mendes, Spring 2019-Summer 2019 (PhD, University of Minho)
Sara Trujillo-Munoz, Fall 2016 (PhD, University of Glasgow - Scotland)
Liliang Ouyang, Summer 2015-Fall 2016 (PhD, Tsinghua University - China)
Renata Sala, Summer 2015-Summer 2016 (PhD, Federal University of Sao Carlos - Brazil)
Cheng-Hung Chou, Spring 2007-Spring 2008 (PhD, National Taiwan University)


Masters Students

Sara Boyd, Spring 2023-Summer 2024 (MS, CU Materials Science & Engineering)
Bradley Taha, Spring 2022-Spring 2023 (MS, CU Chemical Engineering)
Liah Dukaye, Fall 2021 (MS, Penn Materials Science & Engineering)
Gabe Mickel, Fall 2018-Summer 2019 (MS, Penn Nanotechnology)
Tibby Duan, Spring 2018-Spring 2019 (MS, Penn BE)
Andrew Rouff, Summer 2016-Spring 2017 (MS, Penn BE)
Mu-Huan Lee, Fall 2016-Summer 2017 (MS, Penn BE/MSE)
James Howard, Summer 2016-Spring 2017 (MS, Penn MSE)
Janna Sloand, Summer 2015-Spring 2016 (MS, Penn BE)
Neville Dusaj, Summer 2015-Spring 2016 (MS, Penn Biochemistry)
Henry Ma, Spring 2013-Spring 2014 (MS, Penn BE)
Stephen Leong, Spring 2013-Spring 2014 (MS, Penn CBE)
Vanessa Chou, Fall 2012-Spring 2013 (MS, Penn BE)
Hoang "Jack" Lu, Fall 2010-Summer 2012 (MS, Penn BE)
Heather Weber, Fall 2010-Summer 2011 (MS, Penn BE)
Kolin C. Hribar, Summer 2009-Spring 2011 (MS, Penn BE)
Vyas Ramanan, Fall 2009-Spring 2011 (MS, Penn BE)
Ian Lee, Spring 2009-Fall 2009 (MS, Penn BE)
Derrick Hsu, Spring 2009-Fall 2009 (BS/MS, Penn MSE)
David Lau, Summer 2008-Fall 2008 (MS, Penn BE)
Jeffrey Devlin, Spring 2008-Summer 2008 (MS, Penn BE)
Yousef Mazhar, Summer 2007 (MS/MBA Candidate, Penn)
Anthony Fargnoli, Spring 2007 (MS, Systems Engineering, Penn)


Undergraduate Students

Joshua Lee, Summer 2024 (NSF REU Program)
Lovie Deloney, Summer 2024 (NSF REU Program)
Bianca Meurer-zeman, Fall 2023-Spring 2024 
Jonathan Taasan, Summer 2023 
Shoshana Weintraub, Spring 2020-Spring 2022 (Littlejohn Program)
Bruce Enzmann, Summer 2020-Summer 2021 (NSF REU Program)
Julio Rivera De Jesus, Summer 2021 (NSF REU Program)
Kayla Brown, Summer 2021 (NSF REU Program)
Christina Hummel, Summer 2019 (NSF REU Program)
Patricia Mensah, Summer 2019 (SUIP Program)
Zhengkun Chen, Fall 2018 (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
Anna Schoonen, Summer 2018 (NSF REU Program)
Nikolas Di Caprio, Summer 2018 (NSF REU Program)
Claude King, Summer 2017 (NSF REU Program)
Jon Durel, Summer 2017 (NSF REU Program)
Matthew Morrow, Summer 2016 (NSF REU Program)
Elizabeth Soulas, Summer 2015 (NSF REU Program)
Justin Morena, Spring 2015 to Summer 2015 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Gi Yun Lee, Spring 2014 to Spring 2015 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Ethan Bassin, Summer 2013 to Spring 2015 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Jeffrey Chudakoff, Fall 2014 to Spring 2015 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Leron Arama, Spring 2012 to Spring 2014 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Bria Macklin, Summer 2014 (North Carolina A&T State University, SUIP Program)
Zoe Steier, Summer 2014 (MIT, REU Program)
James Howard, Summer 2014 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Emily Zhang, Summer 2011-Summer 2013 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Adam Kaminski, Summer 2013 (Dickinson College)
Cassi Henderson, Spring 2013(BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Mollie Sussman, Fall 2010-Spring 2013 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Steve Leung, Fall 2012-Spring 2013 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Logan Troppito, Fall 2012-Spring 2013 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Julie Xu, Fall 2012-Spring 2013 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Teddy Guenin, Summer 2012 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Nailah Seale, Summer 2012 (Howard University, REU Program)
Greg Winter, Summer 2012 (High School Student)
Emily Zhang, Summer 2011 (High School Student)
Yuk Mun Li, Summer 2011 (Syracuse University, REU Program)
David Zhai, Spring 2010-Summer 2011 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Cyrus Huang, Fall 2010-Spring 2011 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Fabio Raman, Fall 2010-Spring 2011 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Sophia Chen, Fall 2010-Spring 2011 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Cari Meisel, Spring 2010-Summer 2010 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Ormarie Vazquez, Summer 2010 (University of Puerto Rico, REU Program)
Matthew Canver, Fall 2009-Spring 2010 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Zen Liu, Summer 2008-Spring 2010 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Michael Beecham, Spring 2008-Spring 2010 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Katherine Wu, Spring 2007-Spring 2010 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Vyas Ramanan, Summer 2008-Summer 2009 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Kolin Hribar, Summer 2008-Spring 2009 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Robert Mozia, Summer 2007-Summer 2008 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Eric Cohen, Summer 2009-Fall 2009 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Anthony Peters, Fall 2008-Spring 2009 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Ben Hsu, Fall 2008-Spring 2009 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Ludovic Vincent, Fall 2008-Spring 2009 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Louis Wang, Fall 2008-Spring 2009 (MSE Undergraduate, Penn)
Rachel Howitt, Spring 2008-Fall 2008 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Felix Messerschmitt, Spring 2008 (ETH Visiting Student)
Robert Metter, Summer 2006-Spring 2008 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Chia Wu, Fall 2007-Spring 2008 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Jason Phan, Fall 2007-Spring 2008 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Daniela Michelis, Fall 2007-Spring 2008 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Elizabeth Hirst, Summer 2007 (George Washington University, REU Program)
Andrea Tan, Summer 2006-Summer 2007 (BE/MSE Undergraduate, Penn)
Clarence Quah, Spring 2007 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Radhika Gupta, Fall 2006-Spring 2007 (MSE Undergraduate, Penn)
Alex Kent, Fall 2006-Spring 2007 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Will Lee, Fall 2006-Spring 2007 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Sounok Sen, Fall 2006-Spring 2007 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
An Nguyen, Fall 2006-Spring 2007 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)
Surbhi Puri, Fall 2005-Spring 2006 (BE Undergraduate, Penn)