Student Researcher of the Quarter
Manpreet Singh
What department are you in, who do you work with, and what year are you?
I am a 4th year graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering Department under the supervision of Dr. Liang Zhu. I have defended my Ph.D. proposal and have advanced to PhD candidacy at the end of 2019.
What does your dissertation research focus on?
My dissertation research focuses on developing integrated computationally-predictive models using results from in-vivo experiments on PC3 tumors to understand the interplay among different nanoparticle-mediated heat and mass transport mechanisms. My computational research helped design effective heating protocols in magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia in cancer ablation, and evaluate various mechanisms that contribute to enhancement in nanoparticle delivery to tumors. I have published three peer-reviewed journal papers based on my dissertation research.
What attracted you to the program at UMBC?
UMBC is a student centred university that offers inclusively excellent learning space to collaborate, innovate and reshape research ideas into meaningful conclusions. The main reason to join UMBC is simply attributed to the highly impactful and fascinating research in Bioheat Transfer Laboratory. My Ph.D. advisor is a dynamic, passionate, supportive, and hardworking mentor. I personally experienced excellent mentor-mentee relationship and thereby achieved key milestones such as receiving inaugural award of “Graduate student of the month” conferred by the Graduate school at UMBC.
Previous Winners
Qimei Gu
What department are you in, who do you work with, and what year are you?
I am a 4th year graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering Department, working under the direction of Dr. Liang Zhu. I defended my Ph.D. proposal last year and have advanced to PhD candidacy. I am working on the last portion of my PhD dissertation research and I expected to defend my PhD dissertation by the end of 2019.
What does your dissertation research focus on?
My dissertation research focuses on investigation of how local or whole body heating affects nanoparticle distribution in tumors. Specifically, in specific aims 1 and 2, we are interested in how local heating using magnetic nanoparticles hyperthermia induces nanoparticle redistribution in tumors, thus affecting design of heating protocols. In specific aim 3, the research focus is on whether mild whole body hyperthermia enhances delivery of drug-carrying nanoparticles to tumors.
What attracted you to the program at UMBC?
UMBC is a young and energetic university with potential impact on thousands based on its research. My Ph.D. advisor’s research projects attracted me before I even applied to the program. Her bioheat transfer lab has done a lot of well respected research in the field. Here we are doing research, not within the mechanical engineering discipline alone, but we also collaborate with peer labs in the Chemistry and Biology Departments on cancer treatment and drug delivery for several NSF funded topics. As a principal investigator, my advisor Professor Liang Zhu is an excellent mentor and professor. Her office door is always open to students, either undergraduate or graduate. Her passion for work, her brilliant ideas on research and teaching, and her fantastic personality will influence me for a long time.
Eric Languirand
What department are you in, who do you work with, and what year are you?
I am a 5th year graduate student in the Chemistry Department, working under the direction of Dr. Brian Cullum. I just defended my Ph.D. and will now be working at the Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center (ECBC).
What does your dissertation research focus on?
My dissertation research focuses on the use of super-resolution reconstruction methods used with surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) fiber bundle imaging arrays to increase the spatial resolution beyond what is inherently capable by using the imaging arrays.
What attracted you to the program at UMBC?
I was interested in UMBC due to its proximity to major government labs and due to the collaborative nature I saw here when touring. The Chemistry Department has high quality research with a small University feel, providing individual and personal feedback.
Alexander M. LeBrun
What department are you in, who do you work with, and what year are you?
I am a 4th year graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering Department
working in Dr. Liang Zhus lab. I just defended my PhD defense last
Friday.
What does your dissertation research focus on?
My dissertation research focuses on development of an image-assisted
theoretical approach for designing effective and safe treatment protocol
using magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia. This project will allow for
individual heating protocol design in magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia
for cancer patients.
What attracted you to the program at UMBC?
The graduate program at UMBC attracted me by the ability to work in
interdisciplinary teams, bringing together theories and principles typically
used in mechanical engineering into the field of biology and medicine. At
UMBC, I receive valuable support from the faculty members to make pioneering research
possible.
Pietro Strobbia
What department are you in, who do you work with, and what year are you?
I am a 4th year graduate student in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department working in Dr. Cullum’s lab.
What does your thesis research focus on?
My thesis research focuses on understanding the mechanism of signal enhancement obtained in multi-layered substrates for surface enhance Raman spectroscopy. This project will allow for the design and fabrication of reproducible SERS sensors with enhanced sensitivities with applications that includes early diagnosis and sensing biowarfare agents.
What attracted you to the program at UMBC?
The graduate program at UMBC attracted me with the challenging, but friendly environment I had observed when I came visiting the first time from Italy. I was also struck by the variety of research that the Chemistry program at UMBC offered.
Evgenia Barannikova
What department are you in, who do you work with, and what year are you?
I am a 3rd year graduate student in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department working in Dr. Allen’s lab.
What does your thesis research focus on?
My thesis research is focused on developing a peptide-templated approach for synthesis and assembly of nanostructured materials for electrochemical energy storage and conversion devises, such as Li-ion batteries.
What attracted you to the program at UMBC?
The graduate program at UMBC attracted me by a number of research groups working on topics of my interest under the supervision of outstanding faculty members. At UMBC, I receive valuable support from colleges and faculty members, as well as an opportunity to conduct cutting-edge interdisciplinary research at the chemistry-biology interface.