Podium Presenters

My research leverages functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI) to study how spinal cord and brain networks encode evoked neuromodulation in the treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions. To this end I explore advances in data analytics to decode brain and spinal cord neural activity responses to functional neuro-modulatory changes indirectly coupled to measurements of transient hemodynamics. The goal is to evaluate translational applications of these correlates to discover disease biomarkers, understand the mechanisms of action of neuromodulation and to develop closed-loop neurorehabilitation systems for treating neurological conditions.

Specifically, in preclinical rodent brain studies, we investigate NMDA-antagonists drug effects and subsequent neural modulation induced by deep brain and/or transcranial magnetic stimulation. In clinical human studies, we research neural responses of the brain and spinal cord hemodynamics to invasive and non-invasive electrical stimulation, as well as correlate end-organ functional dynamics to fUSI signal during controlled-urodynamic bladder filling and emptying processes. Additionally, we investigate modulations to brain network-activity induced by aberrant conditions in patients suffering from severe focal epilepsy that is refractory to drug intervention.  

As a dedicated Ph.D. candidate in Bioengineering at UCLA, Mohammadali Alidoost integrates computational methods with the complexities of biological systems. His work is particularly focused on understanding protein/gene interactions and drug-induced phenotypes using advanced network analysis. With a strong background in biomedical data science and hands-on experience in computational biology, he aims to uncover novel insights into drug responses and therapeutic pathways.

Joy Chen received her B.S in Bioengineering from UIUC and is now a PhD Candidate in Dr. David Nguyen’s lab in the UC Berkeley- UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering. Her research focuses on using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing techniques to characterize variants of unknown significance in X-linked lymphoproliferative disease. The goal is to determine pathogenicity of these variants to improve clinical diagnosis and facilitate the development of gene editing therapies.  

Artem Goncharov is a PhD candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He received B.S. degree in physics in 2018 from Academic University in Saint-Petersburg, Russia and M.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2020 from UCLA. He is now pursuing PhD degree under the supervision of Professor Aydogan Ozcan. His research interests are in biophotonics, computational spectroscopy, point-of-care and wearable sensors.  He has co-authored over 15 publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings and has two filed patent applications.

Dr. Gyeo-Re Han is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA (Prof. Aydogan Ozcan’s research group). He received a B.S. (2012) and M.S. (2014) in Biomedical Engineering from Gachon University and a Ph.D. (2020) in Chemistry from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Republic of Korea. Dr. Han specializes in developing high-performance diagnostic assays and advanced biosensing platforms, integrating deep learning and micro/nanotechnologies with point-of-care biosensors for digital health applications. He has co-authored 18 scientific publications, and his seven patents have been transferred to the in-vitro diagnostics industry in Korea. Dr. Han has been awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Research Foundation of Korea and two PATHS-UP Seed Funds from the NSF-funded PATHS-UP Engineering Research Center.

Hyehyun Kim received a B.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from University of Colorado, Boulder. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Erkin Seker’s lab at University of California, Davis. Hyehyun is currently developing a microsystems model for monitoring uptake and transport of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative factors using primary tri-culture cells, electrical stimulation, microfluidic chip, and multiple electrode array..

Julian Jimenez is a UC San Diego Bioengineering PhD student working in Dr. Stephanie Fraley’s lab. He is interested in investigating the mechanobiological pathways that influence how cells respond to changes in the extracellular environment, leading to adaptations in tissue structure and function. His research focuses on elucidating the dynamics of calcium and Hippo signaling in response to extracellular stimuli, aiming to identify tunable targets to alter cellular behavior. This week, Julian will present his findings on how calcium-mediated cytoskeletal remodeling alters YAP dynamics in a stiffness-dependent manner.

Ester J. Kwon is an associate professor of Bioengineering at the University of California San Diego. She earned her B.S. in Bioengineering and B.A. in Molecular & Cell Biology at UC Berkeley, Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Washington with Suzie H. Pun, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Sangeeta N. Bhatia. Dr. Kwon is a recipient of the pre- and post-doctoral NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards, the NIH Director’s New Innovator award, and the NSF CAREER Award. Her lab engineers nanomaterials as tools, diagnostics, and treatments for disorders that affect the brain. In addition to her research activities, Dr. Kwon is motivated to create an inclusive research environment through the individualized mentorship of trainees and outreach to young scientists. 

I am is a 4th year undergraduate at UCLA. I work in Dr. Neil Lin's lab where we focus on bioengineering living soft materials. My projects focus on mechanobiology, including epithelial modulus heterogeneity and metabolomics during the jamming transition. Outside of the lab I enjoy reading, playing tennis, and baking! 

Research in my lab lies at the interface of tissue-scale biology and aging. In aging, the tissues of our bodies begin to degrade, losing function and resilience. While even healthy tissue suffers some loss-of-function with age, pathological declines in tissue function, resulting in severe impairment of quality of life or even death, are increasingly common in our aging population. Using a combination of molecular, genetic and tissue engineering approaches, my lab generates tissue-scale models of aging tissue. By investigating aging processes at the tissue-scale, we gain insight into how aging-associated changes in the tissue microenvironment propagate upwards in scale to loss of function in the tissue or organ. In the long term, by collaborating with clinical researchers at Riverside and other institutions, our research will guide the development of novel therapeutics to ameliorate degeneration associated with aging and increase the quality of life of geriatric patients.

Jeong (Jeong Min) Oh is a Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Keyue Shen's Laboratory for Integrative Biosystems Engineering at University of Southern California, expected to graduate in August, 2024. Prior to his Ph.D. program, he has built his passion for microphysiological systems working in Dr. Michael J. Moore's lab at Tulane University and Dr. Dan Dongeun Huh's lab at University of Pennsylvania. Currently, his research aims to develop new therapeutic strategies using his scalable in vitro platform for assessing metabolic rewiring and immunotherapy in hypoxic tumors. His most recent work focuses on addressing hypoxia-mediated CAR-engineering natural killer cell therapy resistance observed in solid tumors, such as glioblastoma. He is actively looking to network with people that are passionate about biotech, startups, and venture capital.

I am a 3rd year PhD student in the Bioengineering Department at the University of California San Diego. After receiving my B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, I joined the lab of Dr. Karen Christman at UCSD. In order to bridge biomaterials and women’s health research I am co-mentored by Dr. Marianna Alperin, a practicing female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery specialist. Being co-mentored by Dr. Christman and Dr. Alperin allows me to research the impact pregnancy and lactation have on regeneration of pelvic floor muscles following childbirth injury to better optimize therapeutics that can prevent pelvic organ prolapse.

Jesse Rodriguez-Reyes is a 4th year PhD candidate in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, Merced. He received his BS in Bioengineering from UC Merced in 2016, where he began research on Ca2+ biosensor development in Dr. Victor Muñoz’s lab as an undergraduate student. This sparked a deep interest in biosensing and protein engineering, leading him to continue that research by pursuing his PhD in Dr. Victor Muñoz’s at UC Merced, where he received the NIH G-Rise Fellowship to support his work and growth as a scientist. Through his PhD Jesse has continued developing Ca2+ biosensors to improve specific characteristics such as affinity and signal response while also utilizing them in-vivo to study T cell Ca2+ dynamics in real-time.

I am a 4th year PhD candidate in Prof. Ryan Stowers’s lab at UC Santa Barbara. My research focuses on using viscoelastic hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties to understand the role of physical cues in driving breast cancer progression at the cellular level. I received my master’s in Mechanical Engineering from the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) where I worked on 3D printing nano-topographies within microfluidic devices and studying how these nanopatterns affect mesenchymal stem cell differentiation.

Soo Hyun Shin is an Assistant Project Scientist in Dr. Jiang Du's group at UC San Diego Department of Radiology. He received his PhD degree in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley for developing molecular MRI techniques for renal imaging. His current research focuses on expanding molecular MRI approaches to bones in a diabetic setting.

Grace Tirado is a 4th year Bioengineering student at UC Riverside with a passion for biotechnology and the development of medical devices. This is her fourth year working as an undergraduate researcher with Dr. Joshua Morgan at the Tissue, Injury, and Mortality, Engineering (TIME) Lab and conducts experiments aiming to understand how aging occurs on the cellular level as well as how to mitigate the onset of age-associated diseases. Throughout her college experience, she has become involved in leadership and mentorship roles such as Senior Chancellor's Research Fellow, Organic Chemistry Learning Assistant, Phi Beta Kappa Member and Head of Public Relations for the Biotechnology Organization of Riverside.

Yifan Wu is currently a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Bioengineering Department at UCLA. Yifan joined Dr. Song Li’s lab as a graduate student researcher and conducted research at the intersection of biology, chemistry, and material science. Her research aims to develop biomaterials with tunable mechanical, chemical, and biological properties to study the influence of extracellular matrix viscoelasticity on cell epigenetic states and cell reprogramming, uncovering insights that hold significant promise for cell engineering and cell-based therapies.

Zefan received B.S. in Chemistry in 2016 and Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2021 from Peking University under the supervision of Prof. Jian Pei, studying semiconducting polymers. In September 2021, he began working as a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Herdeline Ardoña’s group at UC Irvine, studying peptide-based optoelectronic biomaterials and potentials in photostimulation of excitable cells. His long-term interests focus on charge transport in synthetic optoelectronic materials and natural biological systems. He was selected as one of the CAS Future Leaders Top 100 in 2024 and Tom Angell Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Irvine in 2023.