2024 Incoming Graduate Students

Please join the Fischell Department of Bioengineering in welcoming our newest graduate students!

Incoming Ph.D. Students

Paige Campbell graduated from Messiah University with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering in May 2024. She grew up in Prince George's County, MD, and is excited to continue her education close to home at UMD! Paige is interested in research related to medical device development with a global health focus. She also enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and relaxing in nature.
Martin Carrasco graduated from the University of Virginia in 2021 with a B.S. in biomedical engineering. He previously worked at the National Institutes of Health as a postbac fellow for two years. His research interests are primarily in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In his spare time, Martin enjoys rowing, running, and cooking.
Rohey Colley is from Gaithersburg, Maryland, and graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering. She is passionate about immunology and tissue regeneration, with a strong interest in using the immune system's regenerative potential to address health disparities. In her spare time, she enjoys watching basketball, exploring 90's R&B music, and connecting with her Gambian heritage.
Shadin Doski graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor's in biology and Master's in Bioengineering. She is excited to continue her work in the Duncan lab on biomaterials based strategies to combat influenza. In her spare time she enjoys gardening
Peiwen Fu is from China and graduated from the Southern University of Science and Technology with a bachelor's degree in Intelligent Medical Engineering. She has a keen interest in physiological signal analysis, artificial intelligence, and rehabilitation technology. Her recent aspirations include owning a cat and a car!
Nikka Givpoor recently graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Bioengineering. As an undergraduate she worked in Dr. Stroka's lab investigating mechanical stresses present in tumor microenvironment and its role in pro-metastatic AQP expression and cancer cell migration/motility. Her research interests include cancer metastasis, cell engineering, and tumor microenvironment engineering. She has a miniature schnauzer named Daisy, enjoys being on the water, and loves snowboarding in the winter.
Lauren Gomes graduated with a B.S. Bioengineering from the University of Maryland, 2024, and has a strong interest in tissue engineering and biomaterials applications for neurodegenerative disorders. Aside from BIOE, she is a strictly Sims 3 enthusiast (not to be confused with Sims 4), orders her iced coffees with no ice (if you know, you know), and attempts to play her kalimba!
Isabella "Bella" Horton is from Denver, CO and graduated from University of Colorado Boulder in 2022 with a B.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering. Her previous research focused on the role of transposable elements in the evolution of the innate immune system. Bella is an MD/PhD student and having complete 2 years of medical school, is excited to enter the next chapter as a part of the UMD community!
Varun Kochar graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. As an undergraduate, his research was focused on molecular engineering for biosensor development. My current interests include biomolecular engineering and biotechnology. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and exploring.
Kijung Kwak received his Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and afterwards joined the University of Maryland School of Medicine's MD-PhD program. His research interests are in translating biomaterials for drug delivery from bench to bedside and developing next-generation immunotherapies. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, soccer, and music.
Tianfeng Miao graduated with a B.S. in Bioengineering from Nanjing Tech University. He further completed a Biomedical engineering master's degree at the University of Rochester in 2023. His research interests focus on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Outside the lab, he enjoys swimming and playing badminton.
Joy Odigbo graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in May 2024 with a B.S. in Bioengineering and a minor in Applied Mathematics. During her undergraduate career, she had three industry internships focusing on new product development, specifically in Cranial and Spinal Technologies, as well as Diabetes. In her free time, she enjoys running, crocheting, and traveling to new locations.
Paige Ruschke graduated from UMass Amherst with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. During her time at UMass, she studied bighorn sheep to research how their biology could be used to improve helmet design. After undergrad, Paige worked in an immunology lab at Columbia, focusing on the localized immune response in human tissues. Paige loves working with animals in both her professional and personal life. She has experience working with laboratory animals and is also the proud owner of a cat named Winniefred. Outside of work, Paige enjoys scuba diving, hiking, and snowboarding.
Linda Tian graduated from Georgia Tech with a B.S. in biomedical engineering and is currently finishing up her M.S. thesis in materials science engineering from Georgia Tech. Her research interests are primarily in biomaterials and bioprinting. Outside of the lab, she likes to read, draw with oil pastels, explore museums, and go on long walks with her dog.
Lamiya Hassan Tithy is a first-year PhD student at the University of Maryland-College Park, focusing on biomaterials, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Originally from Bangladesh, she is passionate about advancing research in biomedical engineering.*
Owen Tabah recently graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Bioengineering. He has fallen in love with biomedical research, especially in areas of drug delivery, nanotechnology, and immunoengineering. He has thoroughly enjoyed meeting like minded people from around the world while presenting at BMES and conducting research abroad in Japan. When he's not working, he enjoys weightlifting, mountain biking, hiking, creative writing, singing in the shower, and spending time with my friends and family.
Kathleen Trang graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. She is most interested in developing studying the invasive behaviors of metastasis in cancer to hopefully develop more accurate diagnostics. She enjoys rouge-like video games, (poorly) attempting photography, and is always looking to drag someone out on a spontaneous trip to the mountains or a local arcade.
Alessia Venturi graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida in December 2023. Her research interests are primarily immunoengineering, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Outside of the lab, Alessia loves reading, gaming, and exploring the outdoors, amongst many other things.
Yilin "Elaine" Wu  graduated from Texas A&M University in May 2024 with a B.S. in biomedical engineering. Her research interests are primarily biomaterials, immunology, and regenerative medicine. In her free time, she loves baking, crocheting, and watching K-dramas.
Ronald "Ron" Yang graduated from Rowan University majoring in Biomedical Engineering and minoring in Mathematics. His undergraduate research was primarily in artificial intelligence and imaging.  In his spare time, he loves making new food recipes and exploring the city.
Xinyao Zhou grew up in China and graduated with a B.S. in Bioengineering from Northeastern University of China and a M.S. in biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her previous research interests and experience include metabolomics, gene-engineering and Alzheimer’s Disease. She expects to learn more bioengineering techniques like mechanobiology and drug delivery for the early detection and therapeutic development of diseases during her PhD journey. Outside of the lab, she loves singing, cooking and playing with her cat.

Incoming Master's Students

Smriti Thomas grew up in Silver Spring, MD, and stayed local to complete her BS in bioengineering at UMD in May 2024. She is interested in Tissue Engineering, Stem Cell Engineering, and Regenerative Medicine. In her free time, Smriti enjoys reading, crocheting, and lounging with her dog! She is looking forward to continuing her education at UMD and making new connections!

Samantha Majerle Quander-Mosley graduated from the University of Maryland in 2023 with a B.S. in BioEngineering. Sam was an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Kuo's lab studying mechanobioreactors and embryonic tendon development. She plans to continue her research in tendon development and pursue her research interests further in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering in her graduate studies. Outside of the lab, Sam enjoys working out, playing soccer, art, reading, and cooking.