About

Adam J. Engler is the Department Chair and Professor of The Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering at UC San Diego. He is also a Resident Scientist at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Engler’s research focuses on how physical and chemical properties of the niche influence or misregulates cell function and modifies genetic mechanisms of disease. In particular, his lab studies the phenomenon in the context of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases and cancer. To accomplish this, his lab makes natural and synthetic matrices with unique spatiotemporal properties to mimic niche conditions, improve stem cell behavior and commitment in vitro, or direct them for therapeutic use in vivo.

Dr. Valdez-Jasso’s laboratory uses applied mathematics and systems biology, tissue physiology, biomechanics, and cell biology to study the multiscale, sex-dependent pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a life-threatening disease that is two to four times more prevalent in women than men. Dr. Valdez-Jasso serves as Diversity Coordinator for two NIH predoctoral training grants. She is active in the American Heart Association, and the American Thoracic and Biomedical Engineering societies. In 2019, she was on the organizing committee of Summer Biomechanics, Biotransport and Bioengineering meeting, and for the past three years, she has served as the Diversity Chair for the Bioengineering Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.

Dr. Aguado’s laboratory research is focused on studying sex differences in cardiovascular disease using biomaterials and tissue engineering approaches, specifically how sex chromosome biology gives rise to sex differences in valve and cardiac fibrosis at multiple length scales (molecular to organism). Dr. Aguado has chaired or co-chaired multiple conferences, most recently including the annual LatinXinBME Symposium, the Gordon Research Seminar in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, the Society for Biomaterials annual “Black and LatinX Voices in Biomaterials Research” sessions, the Virtual Seminars in Biomedical Science seminar series, and dozens of scientific sessions for the Society for Biomaterials, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Society for Advancing Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, and Gordon Research Conferences.

The Alperin Lab's purpose is to discover scientifically rational treatments and prevention strategies for women’s health, with special focus on pelvic soft tissues. Her lab uses a multi-pronged approach, including computational modeling, in vitro and in vivo experimental models, cadaveric tissues, and biospecimens from living women, to study the impact of pregnancy, birth injury, radiation, menopause, and aging on the structure and function of pelvic soft tissues. In collaboration with engineering experts, Dr. Alperin also investigates the mechanics of pelvic soft tissues and the role of acellular pro-regenerative biomaterials in women’s health. Dr. Alperin has extensive experience organizing various conferences, including basic science days at the national and international conferences, educational workshops, scientific symposia, discussion and expert panels, and mock NIH study sections.

Dr. Tripathy's primary focus is understanding the performance and durability of cardiovascular devices and how they interact with anatomy in-vivo. He has been in this role for close to seven years. Prior to Edwards Lifesciences, he was with Simulia Corporation for 7 years where he held multiple roles including technical lead in the sales and marketing teams. He has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Virginia where he focused on the mechanical properties of cartilage at different length scales. Over the years, he has been an active participant in multiple technical meetings like Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the Society of Experimental Mechanics (SEM) among others.