Current Members
Principal Investigator (PI):
Xiaoming (Shawn) He, Ph.D.
Professor of Bioengineering
Postdoc, Medical Science & Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN
E-mail: shawnhe@umd.edu | Phone: (301) 405-7946
Postdocs:
Dr. Wenquan Ou (Animal Study Manager)
Ph.D., Pharmacy, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan
About: Wenquan’s expertise is in nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery and immunology. He is interested in combining cold-responsive nanotechnology and immunology for cancer therapy and cell banking. He also has interests in microfluidics for cell banking and expansion. Outside of the lab, Wenquan enjoys badminton, table tennis, and cycling.
Dr. Wei Liu (Co-Lab Manager)
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, 2022, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
B.S., Biology, 2015, China Agricultural University
About: Wei’s expertise is in cell cryopreservation and ice-induced cell injury. He is interested in combining novel biomaterials with traditional cryobiology studies to gain a deeper understanding of cryobiology and develop better methods of preserving cells. Outside of the lab, Wei likes to play badminton, roller skating, and table tennis.
Dr. Tiancong Ma
Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
B.S., Polymer Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology
About: Tiancong’s expertise lies in the synthesis, modification, application, and toxicity assessment of nanomaterials. He is interested in designing functional nanoparticle platforms for cancer imaging and therapy. He also has an interest in microfluidics for tumor therapy. Outside of the lab, Tiancong enjoys playing badminton, hiking, and swimming.
Dr. James Shamul (Co-Lab Manager/Webmaster)
NIH T32 Fellow in Cancer Biology
Ph.D., Bioengineering, 2024, University of Maryland, College Park
M.S. Engineering Management (Biomaterials focus), 2018, Johns Hopkins University
B.S. Biomedical Engineering, 2017, Johns Hopkins University
About: James is developing high-throughput models of the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) to screen new therapeutics for glioblastoma and neurodegenerative diseases, in addition to engineering novel formulations to treat these diseases. In his free time, James enjoys running, hiking, booing DC sports teams, and optimizing his famous turkey chili.
Dr. Yongyu (Luna) LuPostdoctoral Research Associate, Institute of Materials Science, 2022-2024, University of Connecticut
Ph.D., Engineering Thermophysics, 2021, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
About: Yongyu’s research expertise lies in utilizing liquid metals, magnetic materials, and polymers to develop innovative solutions for thermal materials and wearable devices. Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking and skiing.
Graduate (Ph.D.) Students:
Hyeyeon Gong
NCI Research Fellow
M.S. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 2019, Yonsei University
B.S. Advanced Materials Engineering, 2017, Hannam University
About: Hyeyeon is interested in developing high-throughput drug screening platforms for personalized medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, bicycling, and driving.
Zhiyuan Wang
M.S. Materials Science and Engineering, 2021, Columbia University
B.S. Biology, 2019, Fudan University
Mitsuo Kumagai
B.S. Bioengineering, 2023, University of Maryland, College Park
Undergraduate Students:
Alaya Chubb
Junior, Bioengineering
Honors College Integrated Life Sciences Scholar
About: Alaya is fascinated with stem cell engineering reprogramming and differentiation methods as well as nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend dental school and hopes to become an orthodontist. Her hobbies include cooking, origami, and doing her natural hair.
Simone Robinson
Sophomore, Bioengineering (Minor in Data Science)
Kalina Li
Sophomore, Bioengineering
Imran Edris
Senior, Neurobiology and Chemistry
About: Imran is interested in the reprogramming and differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs) into specific cell types that translate to clinical applications. After completing his undergraduate degree, Imran plans to attend a Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) in which he can become a Physician Scientist and explore research in orthopedics. His hobbies include reading, volleyball, clubs, and cooking.
Lab Photo Gallery:
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- 2019.12. The lab enjoying a delicious holiday lunch of hot pot!
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- 2019.9. Jiangsheng proudly holding his Postdoctoral Achievement Award in front of our lab space!
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- 2019.8. He Lab enjoying a lab lunch at Hot Pot to say farewell to Hao and welcome Allie and Wenquan!
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- 2019.6. SB3C Conference- Dr. He, Samm, Alisa, and Jiangsheng enjoying the end of conference banquet
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- 2019.5. A fun lab lunch enjoying hot pot!
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- 2018.11.
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- 2018.9.
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- 2018.7.
Alumni (Position in Our Lab): Position Immediately After Training
- George Strawbridge (Undergraduate Student): Senior, Cell Biology and Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park and Tech Intern, HOHCells, LLC
- Samantha Stewart (Ph.D. Student): Scientist, Flagship Pioneering, Cambridge, MA
- Alisa White (Ph.D. Student): Postdoc, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA
- Roshni Pallavajjala (Undergraduate Student): Sophomore, Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park
- Ana Fisk (Undergraduate Student): Ph.D. Student, Johns Hopkins University
- Elyahb Allie Kwizera (Postdoc): Principal Investigator, Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC, Rockville, MD
- Bin Jiang (Postdoc):
- Tommy Liang (Undergraduate Student): D.O. Student, Michigan State University
- Tia Puskar (Undergraduate Student): Research Associate, Harvard Medical School
- Nick Staten (Undergraduate Student): Cell Therapy Specialist, Kite Pharma
- Jiangsheng Xu (Postdoc/Research Assistant Professor): Principal Scientist, ARV Technologies, North Bethesda, MD
- Alyssa Arminan (Undergraduate Student): Engineer, RoosterBio, Frederick, MD
- Sojeong Lee (Undergraduate Student): Graduate Student, Johns Hopkins University
- Nahom Michael (Undergraduate Student): Research Technician, University of Maryland School of Medicine
- Samantha Kraus (Undergraduate Student): Ph.D. Student, Cornell University
- Maxwell Hakun (Undergraduate Student): Ph.D. Student, Michigan State University
- Hao Chen (Visiting Scholar): Associate Professor, Anhui Normal University, School of Physics and Electronic Information, Wuhu, China
- Hai Wang (Postdoc):
- Weijie Li (Visiting Scholar): Associate Professor, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
- Yuntian Zhang (Ph.D. Student): R&D Engineer, TP-Link Technologies Co., Shenzhen, China
- Mingrui Sun (Ph.D. Student): System Engineer, CytoChip Inc., Irvine, CA
- Matthew Becker (Undergraduate Student): Ph.D. Student, Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- Kishan Patel (Undergraduate Student): Senior, Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Patrick Durkin (Undergraduate Student): Senior, Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Pranay Agarwal (Ph.D. Student): Postdoc, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Haishui Huang (Ph.D. Student): Postdoc, Harvard Medical School/MGH, Boston, MA
- Shuting Zhao (Ph.D. Student): Scientist, Apostle Inc., Sunnyvale, CA
- Hafsa Abdullahi (High School Research Assistant): Freshman, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Darshani Manne (High School Research Assistant): Senior, Metro High School, Columbus, OH
- Jenna Dumbleton (Graduate Student): Scientist, Essen Bioscience, Ann Arbor, MI
- Hao Peng (Visiting Scholar): Associate Prof., Xiangya Hospital and Central South University, China
- Jung K. Choi (Postdoc): Assistant Prof., Cha University, Bundang, South Korea
- Wei Rao (Postdoc): Professor, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Allison Zhong (Summer SUCCESS Student): Junior, Chemical Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
- Qiance Tang (High School Research Assistant): Junior, Jerome High School, Dublin, OH
- Benjamin Weekes (Undergraduate Research Assistant): Product Development Engineer, Epic, Verona, WI
- Michael Robinson (High School Research Assistant): Freshman, Biomedical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology, FL
- Joe Jeffrey (High School Research Assistant): Freshman, Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, TN
- Kaileen Zhang (High School Research Assistant): Freshman, Business, The Ohio State University, OH
- Sanaya Shroff (Summer Undergraduate Research Intern): Junior, Chemical Engineering, Cornell University, NY
- Jack Jones (Summer Undergraduate Research Assistant): Junior, Chemical Engineering, The Ohio State University, OH
- Adriano Bellotti (Summer SUCCESS Student): Senior, Biomedical Engineering, NCSU, NC
- Peter Bielecki (Undergraduate Honors Research Assistant): Graduate student, Case Western Reserve University, OH
- Wujie Zhang (Ph.D. Student and Postdoc): Assistant Prof., Milwaukee School of Engineering, WI
- Izmarie Poventud-Fuentes (Summer SUCCESS Student): Ph.D. Student, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, PA
- Kyle Gilstrap (Graduate Student): Clinical Systems Engineer, EIS-Integrated Device Systems, LA, CA
- Remant K.C. (Postdoc): Research Assistant Prof., University of Alberta, Canada
- Geer Yang (Ph.D. Student): Senior Engineer, Shanghai Marine Diesel Research Institute, China
- LaToya S. McDonald (NIH MARC U-STAR Summer Undergraduate Research Assistant): Instructor, Remington College, SC
- Daixi Li (Postdoc): Associate Prof., University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, China
- Anthony Egal (Magellan Undergrauate Research Assistant)
- Danielle Frechette (NSF REU Summer Undergraduate Research Assistant): Ph.D. Student, University of Stony Brook-SUNY, NY
- Kevin Li (Summer High School Research Assistant): Undergraduate, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology