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 Fellow
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 cats (Sushi and Kaladin).
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 have been 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 will join the Cardiovascular Institute, Rowan-Virtua School of Translational Biomedical Engineering & Sciences as a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in September 2023.
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
Simon Van Herck,
Postdoctoral Associate
Research Interests: Biodegradable polymers and Immunotherapy
Projects: Synthesis of degradable metal-chelating polymers to be applied for tissue engineering
Hobbies: Cycling and hiking
Education
Ph.D, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent Univeristy, Belgium.
M.S., Industrial Pharmacy, Ghent Univeristy, Belgium.
M.S., Pharmaceutical Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium.
B.S., Pharmaceutical Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
Contact
Email: sbv25@cornell.edu
Taeho Kang,
Postdoctoral Associate
Research Interests: Biomaterials design and Biodegradable polymers
Projects: Development of biocompatible and biodegradable elastomers for vascular grafts
Hobbies: Watching movies, skiing, music
Education
Ph.D., Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute
B.S., Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Contact
Email: tk593@cornell.edu
Catia Dombaxe,
PhD Candidate
Research Interests: Tissue regeneration, Drug Delivery, and Biomaterials
Projects: Using goldfish ECM proteins to aid in tissue regeneration and functional recovery after spinal cord injury
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., Chemistry, concentration in Forensic Chemistry, 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
M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University
B.S., Chemical Engineering, additional major in Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University. 2018
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., Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University
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: Coacervate, immunotherapy, drug delivery, inflammatory disease, T cells, and polymers
Projects: Psoriasis Microneedle Treatment and Islet Cell Transplantation
Hobbies: Running, 3D printing, reading, music, and biking
Education
M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University
B.S., 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
Edith Chen,
M.Eng. Student
Research Interests: Regenerative medicine
Projects: Organoid model
Hobbies: Stargazing, wushu (performative martial arts), ice climbing
Education
B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University
Contact
Email: yw2488@cornell.edu
Willa Yueying Wei,
M.Eng. Student
Research Interests: I am passionate about biomaterials and tissue engineering, especially their applications in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Projects: Engineering a better organoid model for the human gut project
Hobbies: I love playing the piano and I am into pop and classical music.
Fun Facts: I used to own a big fluffy Samoyed named “Snowball.”
Education
B.ASc. in Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto
Contact
Email: ym464@cornell.edu
Alina Abramoff,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Biomaterials, drug delivery, tissue engineering
Projects: Vascular graft development
Hobbies: Tennis, reading, weightlifting
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: aaa294@cornell.edu
Allison Kwon,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Tissue regeneration, biomaterials
Projects: Investigating regenerative extracellular matrix for cardiac tissue repair and regeneration
Hobbies: Thrifting, reading, and exploring new cafes!
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: alk275@cornell.edu
Angela Cao,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Tissue engineering, chemistry, immunology
Projects: Developing biodegradable metal-chelating polymers for tissue engineering
Hobbies: Drawing, dancing, eating good food
Fun Fact: I’m a tour guide on campus!
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: arc275@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
Katelyn Ge,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Biomaterials, tissue regeneration
Projects: Developing polymers for vascular grafts
Hobbies: Reading, music, skiing, watching shows
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: ksg72@cornell.edu
Laurel Zhang,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Oncology and Drug Delivery
Projects: Chelation Crosslinking of Biodegradable Elastomers
Hobbies: Cooking! I used to be a professional chef.
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: ksg72@cornell.edu
Lea Seo,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Protein delivery, Regenerative Medicine, Immunology
Projects: Protein delivery via lipid covered coacervate Protein delivery via lipid covered coacervate
Hobbies: Walking, Hiking, Writing/mailing handwritten letters, Crochet, Listening to Taylor Swift, Spending time with family/friends
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: lhs85@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
Peter Minneci,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Tissue manipulation, drug delivery, orthopedics, and microbiology
Projects: I am currently working on a project that involves controlling the size of coacervates
Hobbies: Hiking, lifting weights, backcountry skiing, and trying new activities with friends
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: pmm257@cornell.edu
Priya Bhashyam,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Biomaterials, Drug Delivery, Regenerative Medicine
Projects: Protein Delivery through Coacervate
Hobbies: Reading, Drawing, and Baking
Fun Facts: I am a NYS certified EMT
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: dpb97@cornell.edu
Tim Wu,
Undergraduate Researcher
Research Interests: Drug Delivery and Coacervate
Projects: Development of tunable release microneedles
Hobbies: Astronomy, Fishing, and F1
Fun Facts: I have a pet bunny and snake
Education
Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University
Contact
Email: tw486@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