Associate Professor; Department of Biomedical Engineering and Surgery
The Ohio State University
I am an Associate Professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and General Surgery at The Ohio State University (OSU). I am also the Director of Advanced Nanotherapeutics within OSU's Gene Therapy Institute, and a Faculty Fellow within the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge at OSU. My lab’s research is aimed at developing nanotechnology-driven platforms for fundamental and translational biomedical research. A major portion of my lab’s research has been devoted to using nanotechnology to induce controlled lineage conversions, in vivo, as a potential therapeutic approach for different conditions, including diabetes, peripheral nerve injury, chronic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. In addition to impactful publications, this line of research has led to multiple IP filings, awarded patents, and licensing to industry. I am the lead inventor of the Tissue Nano-Transfection (TNT) technology, for which I was awarded the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and subsequent pilot funding through NIDDK’s Catalyst Award. In addition to these recognitions, I was also awarded the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Young Innovator Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Distinguished Alumni Award from both my undergraduate alma mater and OSU’s College of Engineering, and multiple other research and teaching distinctions from OSU, including most recently the Lumley Research Award and the Harrison Faculty Award for Excellence in Engineering Education. I have graduated seven PhD students over the past eight years, and I am currently supervising a total of six PhD students, two postdoctoral researchers, and 15 undergraduate students in my lab. My previous mentees have secured positions in industry and academia. I have also been actively involved in service to my institution and profession, serving and leading different committees, conference-related activities, editorial boards, and review panels.