Amir Vahabikashi, PhD
Amir Vahabikashi joined the Bioengineering Department at Northeastern University in July 2023. He earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from K.N.Toosi University of Technology in Iran and Villanova University, respectively. His doctoral studies at Northwestern University’s Biomedical Engineering Department, under Prof. Mark Johnson, focused on the mechanobiology of outflow tissue in primary open-angle glaucoma.
He then moved to the Cell and Developmental Biology Department at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine as a postdoctoral fellow to study the role of the cytoskeleton and nucleuskeleton in cellular and nuclear mechanobiology in laboratory of Dr. Robert Goldman. He concluded his postdoctoral trainings by joining Dr. John Rogers’ group at Northwestern Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics where he focused on developing compliant two and three-dimensional multimodal bioelectronic interfaces for organoid and tissue-scale mechanobiology studies and implantable technologies for regenerative engineering.
He is a recipient of the Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the National Eye Institute, the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Cancer Institute, and the Innovation Corps Award from the National Science Foundation. His goal is to use the combination of soft bioelectronics and multi scale mechanobiology to understand the mechanisms of human development and disease and develop new therapeutic and regenerative approaches for various illnesses.
Graduate Students
Daniel Labbe
PhD Student in Bioengineering
B.S., Chemical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Research interests: Mechanobiology, Glaucoma, Cytoskeleton, Cell mechanics
Fabiana Amato
PhD Student in Bioengineering
B.S., Biomedical Engineering
University of Florida
Research interests: Neuroengineering, Soft bioelectronics, Organoid on a chip
David Berger
PhD Student in Bioengineering
B.S., Health Sciences
Rider University
Research interests: Bioprinting, Soft Bioelectronics, Neuromuscular systems
Sri Sai Priya Avuthu
Master Student in Biotechnology
B.S., Biotechnology
KL University, India
Research interests: Mechanobiology, Mechanotransduction, Nuclear lamins
Brooke Zhou
Master Student in Bioengineering
B.S., Bioengineering
Northeastern University
Research interests: Mechanobiology, Glaucoma, Mechanotransduction
Bharathi Yelem
Master Student in Bioengineering
B.S., Biotechnology
KL University, India
Research interests: Organ on a chip, Stem cells, Retina pigment epithelium
Undergraduate Students
Adriano Rasmussen
Major: Applied Physics
Research interests: Soft Bioelectronics, Cardiac regeneration
Celeste Butler
Major: Bioengineering
Research interests: Mechanobiology, Glaucoma, Cell mechanics
Jana Chan
Major: Bioengineering
Research interests: Organoid on a chip, Stem cells, Neuromuscular systems
Jeffrey Lam
Major: Electrical Engineering
Research interests: Implantable electronics, Regenerative Engineering
Alumni
| Name | Position | Date | Current position |
| Jessica Fauder | Undergraduate Student | Sep 2024 – December 2024 | |
| Shivam Patel | Undergraduate Student (BioE Capstone) | Sep 2024 – December 2024 | |
| Mackinnon Brennan | Undergraduate Student (BioE Capstone) | Sep 2024 – December 2024 | |
| Ava Tang | Undergraduate Student (BioE Capstone) | Sep 2024 – December 2024 | |
| Rebecca Scott | Undergraduate Student (BioE Capstone) | Sep 2024 – December 2024 | |
| Dylan Lasky | Undergraduate Student (BioE Capstone) | Sep 2024 – December 2024 | |
| James Belanger | Undergraduate Student (BioE Capstone) | Sep 2024 – December 2024 | |
| Sadia Amin Kabbo | Rotation PhD Student | Feb 2024 – June 2024 |