Bioengineering PhD Fellows

Nathan Caso

Bio: I’m a First Year PHD Student here at Northeastern, excited to be working in Dr. Sun’s new lab. As a bit of a history, I completed my undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering, graduating in the class of 2017 at WPI, and then following this realized my passion was in Acoustics inspired by music, having sung in every possible choir at WPI and even serving as a student conductor! I worked at Raytheon from 2018-2020 while starting my Master’s degree in Acoustics at Penn State, after which I moved on to General Dynamics Electric Boat in a position related to underwater submarine acoustics. Also being an officer in the Connecticut National Guard, I deployed to Jordan from 2020-2021 during the peak of the pandemic, and fortunately was able to continue taking classes concurrently outside of daytime activities. I finished up my Master’s thesis on Delay and Sum Beamforming performance engineering by Spring of 2023, around which time advisor at the time, Dr. Yun Jing from Penn State, introduced me to Dr. Tao Sun here at Northeastern who was starting a brand-new lab on immunomodulation that involved passive cavitation imaging. Being an ultrasound imaging acolyte under Dr. Sun has been a fascinating and exciting experience thus far, and I’m excited to continue in his first cohort of PhD students!

Fun fact: Both my PI and I have orange cats!

Funding source: BioE Department

Stefanie DeFronzo

Bio: Stefanie is a 2nd-year PhD candidate in Dr. Guohao Dai’s lab. She is originally from upstate NY and has a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Drew University in Madison, NJ. During her time at Drew, she completed internships at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she worked in a systems bioengineering lab and found her love for stem cells and tissue engineering. Stefanie’s time in Dr. Dai’s lab has consisted of cell culture, microfluidic device design, vascular biology, and lots of lab meeting donuts. Her project in the lab focuses on creating stem cell-derived vascular cells and tissue in vitro.

Fun fact: Stefanie is an avid runner and also a retired theatre kid. You can ask her about many things from running the NYC marathon all the way to how many times she’s been in Fiddler on the Roof.

Funding source: Dean’s Fellowship (BioE Department)

Luke Khoury

Bio: Luke Khoury is a PhD candidate in the laboratory of Prof. Nikolai Slavov. His research interests span the intersection of metabolism, cellular signaling, and regulatory mechanisms that govern biological systems. He is actively conducting single-cell analysis of immune cells using mass spectrometry to better understand their functional regulation at the proteomic level. Prior to joining Northeastern, Luke spent several years in industry where he directed the production and research operations of a commercial analytical laboratory. Having gained an appreciation for the importance of strong technical communication, he is driven towards expanding opportunities to improve these skills for students to leverage across their academic and professional careers. In 2023, he joined the CommLab as a Fellow and has led numerous workshops on developing research presentations from the ground up.

Fun fact: Luke studied hydrology during college and conducted research into cliff erosion along the coast of Southern California!

Funding source: PI Grant / Research Assistantship

Serena Lee

Bio: Serena first joined the Bellini Lab in the Fall 2023 semester and is primarily interested in cardiovascular biomechanics. Prior to starting her studies at Northeastern University, she completed her Bachelors of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and Applied Mathematics & Statistics at Stony Brook University. Currently, she is focused on characterizing aneurysmal aortic tissue via planar biaxial and uniaxial tests to observe how mechanical properties are affected in this disease state. She is also focused on conducting inflation-extension mechanical tests on aortic samples harvested from mouse strains with vascular-related mutations. While pursuing her PhD degree here, she hopes to become more involved on campus to find her niche outside of the lab!

Fun fact:  In her free time, Serena enjoys crocheting and weightlifting.

Funding source: Bioengineering Department

Poulami Mondal

Bio: Poulami Mondal, originally from Kolkata, India, is a first-year PhD student in the Therapeutic Ultrasound Lab, supervised by Dr. Tao Sun. Her research focuses on engineering focused ultrasound-activated nanocarriers for drug delivery and immunomodulation. Poulami completed her Master’s degree in Bioengineering at Northeastern University, majoring in cell and tissue engineering in 2023. During this time, she interned at Jounce Therapeutics, gaining experience in antibody and protein production dedicated towards cancer immunotherapy. Apart from her academic pursuits, Poulami has been an engaged member of the Bioengineering graduate student council. She received the Outstanding Master’s Student Leadership Award from the College of Engineering, Northeastern University, in recognition of her efforts. After completing her PhD, she aspires to persist in conducting research within the same field.

Fun fact: Poulami can read, write, and speak in three languages fluently, and she loves to challenge herself with a new hobby every few months!

Funding source: BioE Department

Rahul Ragunathan

Bio: My name is Rahul Ragunathan, and I am a PhD candidate in Dr. Fang’s Computational Optics and Translational Imaging (COTI) group. Before attending Northeastern University, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD—go Terps) in 2016. After graduation, I worked for three years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the vaccine production program as a formulation chemist before joining Northeastern in Fall 2019. During my PhD, I have designed a complex 3D-printed optical standard platform and worked on various projects in widefield imaging/tomography and computational modeling. I have presented my research through oral presentations and posters at several premier imaging conferences throughout my graduate career. Following my PhD, I aim to contribute to the development of novel biomedical devices that can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of prevalent diseases.

Fun fact: I am a fan of watching and playing tennis, when I get the chance!

Funding source: Bioengineering Dept

Daniel Ramirez

Bio: I’m a PhD student in the computational, systems, and synthetic biology track of the Bioengineering Department at Northeastern. I was born in Boston and lived in Worcester for most of my childhood. Prior to the beginning of my graduate studies, I earned a BS in biomedical informatics from ASU. During my undergraduate program, I was introduced to research and fell in love with computational biology while studying cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. At Northeastern, I work with professors Mingyang Lu and Herbert Levine to study gene regulation in cancer and the dynamics of cellular state transitions, using numerical simulations and biophysics-based models. One of my favorite things about research is the opportunity to work alongside so many curious and insightful students and faculty. Outside of the lab, I love to read, cook, attend shows around Boston, and spend time outdoors.

Fun fact: I can juggle!

Funding: Bioengineering Department, NIH

Nate Silvia

Bio: Nate is a 5th year PhD student in the Guohao Dai lab. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 2019 with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and lab experience primarily in development of novel biomaterials. Following graduation, he joined Northeastern University under Dr. Guohao Dai. In the Dai lab, his work focuses on in vitro modeling of the blood brain barrier as a platform for studying glioblastoma treatment resistance. For this, he specializes in custom microfluidic device fabrication, 3D cell culture, and cell genetic modification. He aims to investigate the underlying causes of glioblastoma stem cell dormancy, a suspected underlying cause of secondary tumor formation following primary surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment. In collaboration with NASA, he is also developing a microfluidic device which models brain vasculature and is self-sustaining enough to undergo space travel. Outside of the lab, Nate served as the communication chair for the BioE Graduate Student Council. He also was a college of engineering graduate student ambassador representing the department of bioengineering and serving as a liaison for newly admitted students transitioning to the Boston campus.

Fun fact: Nate has a black belt in tae kwon do

Funding source: NSF GRFP, Former Dean’s Fellow

Andrew Stein

Bio: My name is Andrew Stein. Originally from upstate New York, I have come to love Boston, where I completed my Bachelor’s and am now pursuing my PhD at Northeastern University. My academic journey led me to specialize in computational biology, focusing on nanopore sequencing technologies. I am conducting my research in the Jain Lab, developing computational methods to bring nanopore sequencing into a new era. My work aims to advance nanopore sequencing to the amino acid realm. My fellowship funding was provided by the Northeastern Bioengineering Department. Outside of this research, I enjoy cooking, exploring the city, and living an active lifestyle.

Fun fact: I enjoy cooking and trying new restaurants throughout the city.

Funding Source: Bioengineering Department

Ana Vargas

Bio:  Ana is a 4th year PhD candidate in Bioengineering, with an expected graduation date in 2025. Originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, she moved to the United States to pursue her undergraduate studies. Ana earned her degree in Bioengineering from Lehigh University before starting her PhD program in 2016. Her research focuses on cardiovascular biomechanics, specifically in women’s health, studying how pregnancy affects the cardiovascular system, particularly vascular remodeling. Ana has a strong interest in understanding the physiological changes that occur during pregnancy and how they impact long-term cardiovascular health. Her work aims to contribute to improved health outcomes for women.

Fun fact: I have completed 2 marathons!

Funding Source: AHA Predoctoral Fellowship