Dr. Yong Wang
Principle Investigator
Dr. Wang got his Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University in 2004. He started his faculty position in 2006, was early promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 2011 and was approved for promotion to Full Professor in 2016. He received a CAREER Award and an INSPIRE Award from NSF. Dr. Wang is Fellow of AIMBE. He used to play different sports. Now he spends most of his leisure time playing soccer with his son. Please see Dr. Wang’s resume to find more about his background.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr. Naveen Singh
Curriculum Vitae` Webpage
Postdoctoral Fellow
Since 01/2022
Dr. Naveen completed his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India. His doctoral research was on the development of an aptasensor for malaria using Plasmodium falciparum glutamate dehydrogenase as the target antigen. Currently, he is working on the development of a novel theranostic application using aptamer. He enjoys reading, traveling, and exploring nature during his free time.
PhD Candidates
Lidya Abune
Ph.D. Candidate
Since 08/2016
Lidya’s current project is focused on functionalization of hydrogel with multiple aptamers to mimic the extracellular matrix for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. She loves to read the Bible, spend time with her family and friends, cook international dishes, play songs on her guitar, and travel to new destinations.
*Bunton-Waller Assistantship Recipient
*Robert W.Graham Endowed Fellow
*Clinical and Translational Science Fellow
Brandon Davis
Ph.D. Candidate
Since 08/2018
Brandon’s primary research interests include cancer immunotherapy and biomaterial systems. He is currently working on amplifying the recognition of cancer antigens. He enjoys spending his free time outdoors, especially going hiking, playing soccer or volleyball, traveling and snapping photographs.
*University Graduate Fellow
Xuelin Wang
Ph.D. Candidate
Since 08/2019
Xuelin’s research interests focus on synthesizing polyvalent nanostructures across the cell surface for the treatment of various diseases. She is currently working on polyvalent engineering of immunocytes to improve the efficiency of killing cancer cells. In her free time, she likes going hiking, reading novels and cooking dishes.
*University Graduate Fellow
Kyungsene (Keith) Lee
Ph.D. Candidate
Since 08/2020
Kyungsene’s research interests include cell surface engineering for biomedical applications. He loves to work out, play tennis, and go hiking in his free time.
Connie Wen
Ph.D. Candidate
Since 01/2021
Connie is interested in doing research on the application of biomimetic cell wall in drug delivery and tissue engineering. She enjoys reading Sherlock Holmes novels and swimming during her free time.
Alumni & Former Members
| Name | Dates as Member | First Position |
|---|---|---|
| Boonchoy Soontomworajit | 08/2006 – 05/2011 | Assistant Professor, Thammasat University (Thailand) |
| Jing Zhou | 01/2007 – 11/2010 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Tufts University |
| Mark Battig | 08/2009 – 12/2014 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia |
| Niancao Chen | 08/2010 – 12/2014 | Scientist, Frontage Laboratories, Inc. |
| Xiaolong Zhang | 01/2011 – 09/2015 | Senior Scientist, Frontage Laboratories, Inc. |
| Shihui Li | 08/2011 – 01/2016 | Research Scientist, Panacyte Scientific LLC |
| Erin Gaddes | 08/2013 – 08/2016 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Lin-Zhi International |
| Nan Zhao | 08/2015 – 08/2019 | Postdoctoral Fellow, John Hopkins University |
| James Coyne | 08/2016 – 05/2021 | Research Scientist, BioAgilytix Labs |
Name |
Dates as Member |
First Position |
|---|---|---|
| Zhaoyang Zhang | 03/2010-01/2012 | Scientist, National Institutes for Food & Drug Control in China |
| Jinping Lai | 03/2015 – 07/2018 | Senior Scientist, Frontage Laboratories, Inc. |
| Peng Shi | 04/2016-08/2020 |
Assistant Professor, South China University of Technology, Department of Bioengineering |
| Huizhen Jia | 09/2018-09/2020 |
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering |
Name |
Name |
Name |
Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Martin | Andrea Ryan | Daniel Zachs | Rachel Lellis |
| Derek Hargrove | Congtin Phan | Kyle O’Brien | Michael Stellon |
| Brian Schwab | Emily Tao | Geetali Pradhan | Susan Hamilla |
| Nha Duong | Matt Turiano | Kelsey Boch | Wafa Aresh |
| Dagan Alon | Matthew Snipes | Vibhavari Sail | Alexander Mann |
| Eleni Kursten | Alyssa Smith | Christine Mallek | Katelyn Duncan |
| Yike Huang | David Yeroushalmi | Maria Hudock | Xuechen Shi |
| Andrew Simonson (’16) | Alex Chan (’18) | Justin Dinenberg (’17) | David Kauffman (’18) |
| Akiho Suzuki (’18) | Anuoluwapo Olubode (M.S. ’18) | Stefanie Blanco (M.S. ’19) | Merryl Augustine (’19) |
| Mridula Menon (’19) | Carol de Araújo (’20) | Allison Brown (’20) | Gunisha Arora (M.S. ’21) |
| Emily Schwartz (’21) |