Current Lab Members
Graduate Students
Interested in joining the lab? Please see the Open Positions tab to find more information.
Ezra Cho
PhD Student, NSF GRFP Fellow
Ezra is a PhD student interested in interrogating DNA structures to improve therapeutic drug targeting. He completed his undergraduate degree in bioengineering with a minor in statistics at the University of Maryland, with research experience in bioinformatics. During his free time, he spends his time cooking, working out, and recordkeeping his lifestyle habits.
Meredith Davis
PhD Student
Meredith is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering in 2022 at the University of Virginia. During this time, she conducted undergraduate research in Dr. Rebecca Pompano's Lab developing and validating a computational model to predict the spatial resolution of an experimental method for detecting cytokine secretion in lymph node tissue. Her research interests include immunology, tissue engineering, and nanomedicine.
Siyi Zheng
PhD Student, SB2 Trainee Awardee
Siyi is a PhD student interested in DNA-targeted immunotherapy. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology at Hunan University, China. She completed her master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Boston University, where she conducted research in Dr. Hadi Nia’s lab studying the residual solid stress in murine brains. Her research interests focus on nanomedicine and tissue engineering.
Anna Maria Ferrante
PhD Student, TRB Trainee Awardee
Anna Maria is a PhD student interested in the intersections of immunology, nanotechnology, and drug delivery. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing soccer, baking, and hiking.
Emma Hudson, Masters Student, BU MLK Fellow
Emma Hudson is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Biomedical Engineering. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from American University. During this time she researched how vertical farms could be deployed as a social intervention for chronic disease and performed case studies on how gold nanoparticles could be used as a diagnostic tool for pulmonary hypertension with United Therapeutics. Her research interests focus on immunology and drug delivery. In her free time, she runs a nonprofit focused on empowering food insecure communities with precision farming technology.
Research Associates
Interested in joining the lab? Please see the Open Positions tab to find more information.
Mayayi Izzo
Research Technician
Mayayi is a Research Technician interested in immunology and translational nanomedicine. She recently earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering at Brown University. During her undergraduate studies, she collaborated in Dr. Anita Shukla’s lab to develop surface-functionalized liposomes for enhanced targeting of bacterial infections. She is eager to hone her research skills in preparation for pursuing a PhD. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going for walks, and playing board games.
Undergraduate Students
Interested in joining the lab? Please see the Open Positions tab to find more information.
Julia Nowak
STEM Pathways Funded Awardee
Julia is a junior studying biomedical engineering at BU. She is interested in broadening her research and in lab experience in fields such as nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and biotechnology. She hopes to explore these fields and more in her future academic career.
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Lauren Bell
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Lauren is a sophomore studying biomedical engineering and a student in the Kilachand Honors College at Boston University. She is interested in engineering nanotechnology in order to improve upon current therapeutics, as well as the general fields of genome editing and biotechnology. Lauren is also an ambassador for Boston University Admissions and a member of Alpha Sigma Kappa — Women in Technical Studies. In her free time, she enjoys all things dance, listening to music, and exploring Boston.