Systems Bioengineering Team
DR. NANDITHA ANANDAKRISHNAN
PostDoctoral Fellow
A Biomedical Engineer by training, Nanditha’s first exposure to research was during her BTech in Biotechnology. During the past eight years, Nanditha has gained experience in multidisciplinary areas such as development of electrochemical biosensors, synthesis of polymeric biomaterials and fabrication of vascularized engineered tissue models. She is currently working on the development of a high-throughput drug screening platform using iPSC derived glomerular cells. When not doing research, she likes to cook, watch TV and take long walks in Central Park with her husband while having conversations about science, politics and cinema.
DR. ALAN STERN
PostDoctural Fellow
Alan received his PhD in biomedical sciences from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researching the role of single cell ERK and Akt signaling dynamics in predicting cell division. He is currently studying cytoskeletal dynamics using live cell imaging, and computational image analysis approaches. In his free time, Alan likes to work on photography/photogrammetry projects and spend time in the botanical gardens with his wife.
Dr. Merve Zuvin
Postdoctoral Fellow
A physicist by training, Merve received her PhD in Mechatronics Engineering from Sabanci University, developing nanoparticle-based targeted drug/gene delivery platforms for cancer therapeutics. She worked on utilizing microfluidic chips for potential cancer diagnosis. She is currently working on microfabricated platforms for kindney-on-a chip applications.
JONATHAN HAYDAK
PHD Student
With degrees in chemical engineering and math, Jon comes from a background of physical chemistry and molecular simulation. After being on dialysis for 3 years and receiving a kidney transplant, he is intimately familiar with the severe lack of therapeutics in nephrology. He is currently studying the spatiotemporal dynamics of biomechanical signals in podocytes and renal tubules. In tangent with his research, he is involved with policy advocacy for kidney disease. He hopes to disrupt how kidney disease is treated both from a clinical and policy perspective.
ANTHONY MENDOZA
Master's Student
Anthony Mendoza graduated from UT Austin, where he acquired a B.S. in Chemistry and assisted in printing μ3D biocompatible gelatin structures using multiphoton lithography. Mendoza is a Master in Biomedical Science’s student at ISMMS, where he is further investigating polycystic kidney disease (PKD) by taking a biomechanical/biophysical approach. He hopes to aid in the discovery of the force dynamics and biological pathways that give rise to cystogenesis. On his spare time, he enjoys lifting heavy things and exploring New York City. Mendoza will apply to medical school in the near future to assist in building a society in which people in positions of high status are representative of the diverse communities they serve.
JACOB WRIGHT
PhD Student
TESS FALLON
Undergraduate Student
Tess Fallon is an undergraduate engineering student at Columbia University. She is majoring in Electrical Engineering and minoring in Biomedical Engineering. Tess is passionate about the intersection of engineering and medicine and is excited to see where the rest of her educational path
takes her. In the past, she has worked on research projects studying neurodegeneration in fruit flies, helped to build computational models of neural circuits, and aided in designing a affordable ultrasound technology. Outside of the lab, Tess likes to play badminton, solve the daily crossword, and cheer for the Chicago Cubs. She plans on getting her PhD following graduation from Columbia and aspires to pursue a career in biomedical research.
Benjamin Lin
Research Associate
Ben graduated from New York University in May 2021 with a MS in Biology. While at NYU, Ben conducted Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research at NYU School of Medicine in the Laboratory of Dr. Wisniewski, under the supervision of Dr. Scholtzova. He investigated the effects of age on the progression of AD in squirrel monkeys. Ben desires to obtain his MD and hopes improve patient treatment outcomes through the application of meaningful research breakthroughs. Some of Ben’s hobbies include following tennis, browsing YouTube, and listening to music.
Alumni
STEFANIE DEFRONZO
CURRENTLY:
Biomedical Engineering PhD Student, Northeastern University
DR. BEN ADEGBITE
CURRENTLY:
Internal Medicine Resident,
Mount Sinai West
DR. XUHUA GE
CURRENTLY:
Pediatrician,
Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University
DR. TAO ZHANG
Currently:
Associate Professor,
First Hospital of Nanjing Medical University
JORDAN REID
Currently:
MD/PhD Student,
Wayne State University
ALECIA MUWONGE
CURRENTLY:
Pharmacist Intern/ PharmD Student,
Nova Southeastern University
NICHOLAS J. WONG
CURRENTLY:
Masters of Computer Science Student,
PACE University
SMITI BHATTACHARYA
PhD Student
Smiti is a NIDDK F31 predoctoral fellow at Columbia University (co-advisor Prof. Jim Hone). She is a collector of engineering degrees: electrical, biomedical, mechanical, and counting. She is working on building a microengineered kidney-on-chip with a biomimetic microenvironment that can be used as a drug-screening platform.