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.

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Current Lab Members

Graduate Students

Daniel Labbe

PhD Student in Bioengineering

B.S., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

Research interests: Mechanobiology, Glaucoma, Cytoskeleton, Cell mechanics

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Fabiana Amato

PhD Student in Bioengineering

B.S., Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida

Research interests: Neuroengineering, Soft Bioelectronics, Organoid on a chip, Stem cells

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Sophia Millan

PhD Student in Bioengineering

B.S., Biomedical Engineering (minor in Chemistry), University of Massachusetts Amherst

Research interests: Soft Bioelectronics, Cardiac regeneration, Implantable electronics, Stem cells

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David Berger

Master Student in Bioengineering (Incoming PhD student, Fall 2025)

B.S., Health Sciences (minor in Psychology), Rider University

Research interests: Microfluidics, Bioprinting, Soft Bioelectronics, Neuromuscular systems

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Bharathi Yelem

Master Student in Bioengineering

B.S., Biotechnology, KL University, India

Research interests: Organ on a chip, Stem cells, Retina pigment epithelium

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Aadhira Nair

Master Student in Bioengineering

B.S., Biotechnology, Vellore Institute of Technology, India

Research interests: Glaucoma, Organ on a chip, Microfluidics

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Sri Sai Priya Avuthu

Master Student in Biotechnology

B.S., Biotechnology, KL University, India

Research interests: Mechanobiology, Mechanotransduction, Nuclear lamins, LINC complex

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Undergraduate Students

Adriano Rasmussen

Major: Applied Physics

Research interests: Soft Bioelectronics, Cardiac regeneration

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Celeste Butler

Major: Bioengineering

Research interests: Mechanobiology, Glaucoma, Cell mechanics

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Keerthi Atluri

Major: Bioengineering

Research interests: Stem cells, Cardiac regeneration, Bioelectronics

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Zoe Smith

Major: Bioengineering

Research interests: Bioprinting, Bioelectronics

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Jana Chan

Major: Bioengineering

Research interests: Organoid on a chip, Stem cells, Neuromuscular systems

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Alumni

Name Position DateCurrent position
Jessica Fauder Undergraduate Student Sep 2024 – December 2024LinkedIn
Shivam PatelUndergraduate Student
(BioE Capstone)
Sep 2024 – December 2024LinkedIn
Mackinnon BrennanUndergraduate Student
(BioE Capstone)
Sep 2024 – December 2024LinkedIn
Ava TangUndergraduate Student
(BioE Capstone)
Sep 2024 – December 2024LinkedIn
Rebecca ScottUndergraduate Student
(BioE Capstone)
Sep 2024 – December 2024LinkedIn
Dylan LaskyUndergraduate Student
(BioE Capstone)
Sep 2024 – December 2024
James BelangerUndergraduate Student
(BioE Capstone)
Sep 2024 – December 2024LinkedIn
Sadia Amin KabboRotation PhD StudentFeb 2024 – June 2024LinkedIn