Yadong Wang,
Principal Investigator
Yadong Wang is the McAdam Family Foundation Professor of Cardiac Assist Technology at Cornell University. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry at Stanford University in 1999, and performed his postdoctoral studies in biomaterials at MIT. He joined the Biomedical Engineering Department at Cornell in 2017 after nine years with The University of Pittsburgh where he served as the William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Bioengineering.
His research focuses on creating biomaterials that present controlled chemical, physical, and mechanical signals to cells, tissues and organs. The ultimate goal is to control how the human body interacts with these materials. He is especially interested in applications of biomaterials in the cardiovascular, nervous and musculoskeletal systems. His team enjoys collaborating with other scientists and clinicians who share the same passion in translational research. Current projects include vascular grafts, controlled release of proteins and microfabrication of biomaterials.
Education
Postdoctoral Associate, MIT ’02
Ph.D., Stanford University ’99
M.S., Kansas State University ’95
Contact
Email: yw839@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 255-4030
Anthony D’Amato,
Postdoctoral Associate
Research Interests: Improving biomaterial fabrication to facilitate translation into the clinic.
Projects: Currently working on ways to improve traditional electrospinning methodologies to increase control during the process and hopefully improve the biological performance of the resulting fibrous materials.
Hobbies: I like to hike, cook, read as many books as possible, and play with my dog (Griffey) and my cat (Sushi).
Education
PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
B.S in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Clemson University
Contact
Email: ard223@cornell.edu
Ying Chen,
Postdoctoral Associate
Research Interests: Biomaterials design and cardiovascular tissue engineering
Projects: I’m developing a new type of biocompatible and biodegradable elastomers based on metal-ligand chelation and applying them in cardiovascular tissue engineering. The metal-ligand chelation offers a unique advantage unseen in conventional elastomer design because one ligand binds multiple metal ions yielding bonds of different properties (mechanical properties, degradation profiles, etc.). Vascular grafts prepared from these elastomers will be implanted into small and larger animal models to evaluate their potentials in cardiovascular regenerative medicine.
Hobbies: Skiing, swimming, fishing, hiking, reading, karaoke, drawing
Fun Facts: I had been living in Chengdu for 24 years but I cannot eat too spicy food or play Mahjong.
Education
Ph.D: National Institute for Materials Science, Japan/Tsukuba University, Japan 2015-2018
M.S.: National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, China 2012-2015
B.S: College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, China 2008-2012
Contact
Email: yc2525@cornell.edu
Catia Dombaxe,
PhD Candidate
Research Interests: Tissue regeneration, Drug Delivery, and Biomaterials
Projects: TBD
Hobbies: Photography, traveling, hiking, and cooking
Fun Facts: During undergrad I did a study abroad (semester at sea) around the world and lived on a cruise ship.
Education
B.S in Chemistry with concentration in Forensic Chemistry from Methodist University
Contact
Email: cpd57@cornell.edu
Chase Webb,
PhD Candidate
Research Interests: Tissue regeneration and naturally inspired therapies, specifically from extracellular matrix
Projects: I am developing and manufacturing an ECM-based therapy derived from regenerative species for cardiac repair and regeneration.
Hobbies: Swimming and playing water polo, cooking, and watching football.
Fun Facts: As an undergraduate I swam varsity for Carnegie Mellon and swam and played water polo at Imperial College London. I also served as a volunteer assistant coach at Carnegie Mellon.
Education
B.S., Chemical Engineering with additional major in Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University ’18
Contact
Email: chw72@cornell.edu
Chia-Wei Yeh,
PhD Candidate
Research Interests: Biomaterials, tissue engineering, and microfluidic applications
Projects: Aiming to develop PEAD/heparin coacervate loaded liposome as drug carrier for VEGF-C delivery after myocardial infarction.
Hobbies: Basketball, snowboarding, cooking, travel
Education
M.S., National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, 2013-2015
B.S., National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, 2009-2013
Contact
Email: cy465@cornell.edu
Cole Latvis,
PhD Candidate
Research Interests: Tissue engineering and biomaterial fabrication
Projects: Vascular Graft Development and Polymer Synthesis
Hobbies: Hiking, kayaking, fishing, cooking, and 3D printing
Education
B.S., Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia
Contact
Email: crl94@cornell.edu
Halle Welch,
PhD Candidate
Research Interests: Tissue regeneration
Projects: TBD
Hobbies: I enjoy reading and have been learning to cook.
Education
B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Contact
Email: hw659@cornell.edu
Julianna Koehl,
PhD Candidate
Research Interests: Designing polymers for various biomedical applications
Projects: Development of polyhydroxyalkanoates for skin graft applications
Hobbies: Hiking, kayaking, and cooking
Education
B.S. in Chemistry, Lebanon Valley College
Contact
Email: jk2356@cornell.edu
Nathaniel Wright,
PhD Candidate
Research Interests: Drug delivery, polymers, immunotherapy, cancer
Projects: We use a coacervate delivery system for the treatment of melanoma with immunotherapeutics.
Hobbies: Running, hiking, 3D printing
Education
B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah
Contact
Email: nw335@cornell.edu
Warrick Ma,
PhD Candidate
Research Interests: Cool synthetic macromolecules
Projects: Development of novel UV Crosslinkable Resin
Hobbies: Outdoor stuff, training at the fire station.
Fun Facts: Started off as a garage chemist when I was little, I firmly believe that cooking in a kitchen is the same as doing chemistry in a fume hood. This probably explains why I sometimes drink from a beaker (at home), why I never shy away from culinary challenges like making risotto from scratch, and how I managed to make two trays of cream puffs in under two hours.
Education
M.S., Chemistry, Cornell University
B.S. in Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles.
Contact
Email: ym464@cornell.edu
Ave Kludze,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Biomaterials, biomedical informatics, and systems biology
Projects: I am working on a project for the setup, automation, and control of a near field electrospinning fabrication platform for functional biomaterials.
Hobbies: Inkscape, chess, and music
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: akk86@cornell.edu
Krupa Sekhar,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Tissue engineering and regeneration
Projects: Studying regenerative species for potential extracellular matrix-based treatment applications
Hobbies: Indian classical violin and dance, painting, reading YA novels, creative writing, social justice work
Fun fact: I love interior design!
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: kcs76@cornell.edu
Michelle deSouza,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Tissue regeneration
Projects: Analyzing goldfish cardiac regeneration capabilities and mechanisms
Hobbies: Rock climbing, badminton, piano
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: md722@cornell.edu
Molly Veerkamp,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Tissue regeneration and neurobiology
Projects: Investigating the regenerative ability of goldfish extracellular matrices for spinal injury applications
Hobbies: Fencing, running, knitting
Fun Facts: I have a cat named Schrödinger
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: msv35@cornell.edu
Nabeen Chu,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Drug delivery, regenerative medicine, immunology
Projects: Developing a liposome filled with heparin based coacervate for protein delivery
Hobbies: Taekwondo, watching movies, rock climbing
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: nc454@cornell.edu
Nolan Shan,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Cancer, Tissue Engineering
Projects: Developing Biodegradable Polymers for Vascular Bypasses
Hobbies: Running, Skiing, Eating Sushi
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: ncs85@cornell.edu
Thien Vo,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Drug Delivery and Drug Development
Projects: Rapamycin Releasing Polymer
Hobbies: I like to vibe, cook, and talk about life 🙂
Fun fact: My full name translates to “All Encompassing Sky Martial Arts”
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: ttv7@cornell.edu
Paula Miller,
Research Support Specialist
Research Interests: To support the research projects of our group. Maintain a safe research environment and train new researchers about our laboratory and on proper usage of equipment.
Projects:
Hobbies: Walking, hiking, swimming, gardening, cross-country skiing, hanging around with the kids and animals.
Education
M.S., Natural Sciences, SUNY at Buffalo, Roswell Park Division
B.S., Biology, LeMoyne College
Contact
Email: pgm6@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 255-5204