Meet the hard working team behind all SYIS activities.
Sophia is a PhD Student at the University of Toronto, working under the supervision of Professor Molly Shoichet. Her research focuses on leveraging the specificity of protein interactions to facilitate the sustained release of a protein therapeutic from a hydrogel vehicle, for prolonged drug delivery within the vitreous in the context of patients affected by retinal degenerative diseases. Apart from her research, Sophia enjoys hiking, baking and creating graphical designs.
I’m a Molecular Engineering Ph.D. student in Professor Buddy D. Ratner's Lab at the University of Washington. I received my B.S. in Biology at the University of Washington. My research projects focus on developing a soft material mechanically tailored for neural implants and biodegradable porous hydrogel to enhance tissue integration. Additionally, I’m actively engaged in surface modifications using zwitterionic compounds to promote biocompatibility. Outside of the lab, I’m a part-time badminton player and part of the kickball team in our department. Also, I enjoy spending time walking my cat.
Sargol is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, under the supervision of Prof. Milica Radisic. In the Radisic Lab, Sargol is developing a 3D in vitro cm-sized left ventricle models and evaluate their functionality compared to physiological data. Outside the lab, Sargol enjoys running, baking and gardening.
Twitter: @SOkhovatian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sargol-okhovatian/
Roles & Responsibilities
The SYIS-AM Secretary responsibilities include writing and archiving meeting minutes, assisting with scheduling and organizing meetings, and sending email communications to the broader SYIS community. The Secretary also helps with planning the SYIS events at the annual TERMIS conference and may be involved in other SYIS initiatives.
Jason is a PhD student at Dartmouth College, working under the supervision of Professor Hung Nguyen. His reasearch focuses on application of bottlebrush polymers for tissue engineering. Outside of the lab, Jason will likely be found eating and playing games.
Dr. Anam Anjum received her MS and PhD in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine from the National University of Malaysia in 2023. During her doctoral research she earn the Best Thesis Award and nomination for the University Gold Award, along with a patent registration related to spinal cord regeneration therapy. She has a broad research background in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and neuroregeneration. Dr. Anjum also completed prior postdoctoral fellowship at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology in Warsaw, Poland, where she studied brain neuroplasticity and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity using advanced imaging techniques. Currently, she is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Her research focuses on understanding and enhancing nerve regeneration using stem cell therapies, stem cell-derived and engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs), hydrogel and nanogel-based delivery systems, metabolic glycoengineering and reprogramming of stem cells, and investigating mechanisms such as metabolic stress and SARM1-associated Wallerian degeneration to develop therapeutic strategies for peripheral nerve injury.
Carla is a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, working in the lab of Professor Sarah Heilshorn. She earned her PhD at the CNIC institute in Madrid, where she developed novel protein-based biomaterials under the supervision of Dr. Jorge Alegre. Her current research focuses on leveraging protein biomaterials for applications in tissue engineering. Outside the lab, Carla enjoys reading, live music, caring for animals and enthusiastically starting more arts and crafts projects than she ever finishes.
Roles & Responsibilities
The SYIS-AM Professional Development Chair responsibilities include organizing the Career Panel at the annual TERMIS conference, helping plan other SYIS conference activities, and compiling and sharing professional development resources to the broader SYIS community. In addition, the Professional Development Chair is encouraged to organize annual or bi-annual professional development webinars outside of the TERMIS conferences.
