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 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 snacks. Her PhD project focuses on creating stem cell-derived vascular tissue in vitro for use in vascular disease modeling and drug discovery. Outside of the lab, Stefanie is the team lead for the College of Engineering’s Graduate Student Ambassadors where she acts as a student guide for future huskies.

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: American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship

Hannah Higgins

Bio: Hannah Higgins is a first-year PhD student in the Chiari Neurobiomechanics Lab, advised by Dr. Francis Loth. Hannah is originally from Georgia and completed her undergraduate degree at Mercer University. Her research focuses on linking observable parameters, such as waveform morphology and tissue composition, to symptomatology in Chiari Malformation Type I (CMI). In addition to her extensive background in fluid mechanics and engineering, Hannah has CMI and other comorbidities that have often been under-researched in the medical community. She values her role as a patient-scientist because it allows her to connect with other CMI patients, ease their lab experiences, and translate complex research findings into terms that are digestible from a patient’s perspective. Hannah looks forward to collaborating with more patient-scientists in the future and having a career studying CSF disorders.

Fun fact: Hannah’s nights as a child were often filled with square dancing lessons.

Funding source: NSF GRFP

Jackson Jewell

Bio: Jackson is a first-year PhD student at Northeastern on the Biomedical Devices and Bioimaging track. During his first year, he completed two lab rotations that shaped his research direction. In Dr. Amir Vahabikashi’s Lab, he worked on engineering electrospun nanofiber scaffolds for cardiac patch applications, focusing on developing substrates to support cardiomyocyte culture and function. In Dr. Meni Wanunu’s Lab, he worked on developing microfluidic systems to automate lipid bilayer formation for nanopore electrophysiology experiments, gaining experience in microfabrication, fluidic automation, and single-molecule biophysics. Jackson completed his BS in biomedical engineering at Duquesne University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and spent three years conducting undergraduate research on laser-induced graphene flexible strain sensors, biomimetic cardiac bioreactors, and computational simulations of microfluidic devices. He has presented his work at national and regional conferences including the National Conference for Undergraduate Research and the Northeast Bioengineering Conference. Beyond the bench, he serves as a Teaching Assistant for Bioelectricity at Northeastern. Jackson will be returning to the Vahabikashi Lab to resume his cardiac patch research and complete his PhD, supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

Fun fact: Jackson is an avid traveler and photographer. He has been to 20 countries on 5 continents and even summited a volcano in Guatemala!

Funding source: NSF GRFP

Catherine Karpova

Bio: Catherine is a PhD candidate in Dr. Guohao Dai’s lab at Northeastern University, where her research focuses on cardiovascular engineering. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degree in biomedical engineering from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
During her undergraduate and graduate studies, Catherine interned at the Frank Lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School, where she developed a strong interest in tissue engineering and stem cell research.
Her current work focuses on developing an artificial cardiovascular tissue model that produces mature cardiomyocytes and robust vasculature. To achieve this, she is engineering cardiac-specific endothelial cells, building 3D cardiac cell culture systems, and developing cardiac microfluidic devices. Her research aims to enable improved cardiovascular disease modeling and drug testing.
Beyond her research, Catherine served for two years on the BioE Graduate Student Council. As the chair of the Communication and Events Planning team, she organized professional and community-building events for students. In 2025, she received the Outstanding PhD Leadership and Service Award from the College of Engineering.

Fun fact: Catherine was a Division I gymnast at The George Washington University and competed with her team at NCAA Regionals in 2018 and 2019 – one of her favorite college memories!

Funding source: American Heart Associate Predoctoral Fellow

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

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

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