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Research Investigators

Faculty members at Missouri S&T who have research interests in biomedical research are welcome and encouraged to participate in the CBR as Research Investigators.

Contact Debrina Weber

Dr. Yue-Wern Huang

CBR Center Director, Professor, Biological Sciences & Chair, Associate Dean Research & External Relations

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Nanoparticle drug delivery platforms, tissue regeneration

Yue-Wern Huang Quad Chart

Dr. Bob Bourret

Founding Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, Professor, Biological Sciences

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Bacterial signal transduction, antimicrobial target discovery

Dr. Bourret Quad Chart

Dr. Richard K. Brow

Executive Director of Operations for the Kummer Institute, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 1- Bioactive glasses, ceramic/glass scaffolds for bone repair, hydrogel composites

Richard Brow- Quad Chart

Dr. Amy Belfi

Assistant Chair of Graduate Studies Kummer Impact Professor, Associate Professor, Psychological Science

Research Focus

Pillars 3, 4 - Cognitive neuroscience, music/memory, neuroimaging methods

Amy Belfi Quad Chart

Dr. Casey Canfield

Associate Professor, Engineering Management and Systems Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 4 - Decision science, human-computer interaction trials, socio-technical simulation

Casey Canfield Quad Chart

Dr. Carlos H. Castano

Associate Professor, Mining and Nuclear Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 2 - Nuclear nanoradioisotope production, radioactive nanoparticle imaging/therapy

Carlos Castano Quad Chart

Dr. Amitava Choudhury

Associate Professor, Chemistry

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Solid-state materials chemistry (batteries, MOFs)—general materials capability

Amitava Choudhury Quad Chart

Dr. Anthony Convertine

Roberta and G. Robert Couch Associate Professor, Materials Science & Engr

Research Focus

Pillars 1, 3 - Nanoparticle therapies for TBI, polymeric prodrugs, hemostatic nanogels

Anthony Convertine Quad Chart

Dr. Steven Corns

Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, Associate Professor, Engineering Management and Systems Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 4 - Computational intelligence, evolutionary computation, complex systems modeling

Steven Corns Quad Chart

Dr. Xiaosong Du

Director of Physical Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 2 - Generative AI, digital twins, surrogate modeling for precision medicine

Xiaosong Du Quad Chart

Dr. David Duvernell

Professor, Biological Sciences

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Population genetics/genomics, natural selection

David Duvernell Quad Chart

Dr. Nuran Ercal

Professor Emerita, Biochemistry

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Redox biology, thiol antioxidants for cataract therapy

Nuran Ercal Quad Chart

Dr. Mina Esmaeelpour

Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 2 - Fiber optic biosensors, ultrafast LIDAR/spectroscopy, quantum sensors

Mina Esmaeelpour Quad Chart

Dr. Michael Eze

Director of Metabolomics and Environmental Toxicology Laboratory, Assistant Professor of Bioanalytical & Environmental Chemistry

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Metabolomics, environmental toxicology, bioremediation

Michael Eze Quad Chart

Dr. Fateme (Sha) Fayyazbakhsh

Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Bioprinted wound dressings, stimuli-responsive drug delivery, AI-enabled wound diagnostics

Fayyazbakhsh Quad Chart

Dr. Ryan Gilbert

Linda and Bipin Doshi Endowed Chair, Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Lipid nanoparticle/mRNA and protein delivery via electrospun fibers, neural tissue engineering

Ryan Gilbert- Quad Chart

Dr. Daoru Han

Director of Gas and Plasma Dynamics Laboratory, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Cold atmospheric plasma for biomedical/antimicrobial applications

Daoru Han Quad Chart

Dr. Amber M. Henslee

Associate Professor, Psychological Science

Research Focus

Pillar 4 - College student health behavior (alcohol/cannabis use patterns)

Amber Henslee Quad Chart

Dr. Jie Huang

Roy A. Wilkens Endowed Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 2 - Fiber optic sensors for structural/human health monitoring, femtosecond micromachining

Jie Huang Quad Chart

Dr. Catherine Johnson

Interim Department Chair and Robert H. Quenon Associate Professor, Mining and Explosives Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Blast-induced traumatic brain injury models, explosive taggants

Catherine Johnson Quad Chart

Dr. Chang-Soo Kim

Professor and Graduate Coordinator, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 2 - Self-calibrating metabolite sensors, wearable skin patches, biodegradable implants

Chang-Soo Kim Quad Chart

Dr. Grant Kolar

Research Professor Biological Sciences

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Spatial transcriptomics/proteomics, rare disease pathophysiology (Prader-Willi, diabetes

Grant Kolar - Quad Chart

Dr. Clair Reynolds Kueny

Department Chair, Graduate Program Director, and Associate Professor, Psychological Science

Research Focus

Pillar 4 - Healthcare team dynamics, interprofessional practice, organizational psychology

Clair Reynolds Kueny Quad Chart

Dr. Gabriela Moreira Lana

Assistant Professor, Linda and Bipin Doshi Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Architected soft biomaterials, tumor-microenvironment-on-a-chip, embedded bioprinting

Quad Chart- Dr. Lana

Dr. Bo Mi Lee

Director of Intelligent Multifunctional Materials and Systems Laboratory, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 2- 3D-printed hydrogel/PEDOT:PSS wearable sensors, ML-based gas sensing

Bo Mi Lee- Quad Chart

Dr. Ming C. Leu

Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Curator’s Distinguished Professor/Keith and Pat Bailey Distinguished Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Bioprinting, metal/ceramic additive manufacturing for scaffolds

Ming Leu Quad Chart

Dr. Shelley Minteer

Director of the Kummer Institute Center for Resource Sustainability, Director of NSF Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry, Professor of Chemistry

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Bioelectrocatalysis, enzyme engineering for biofuels and biosynthesis

Shelley Minteer Quad Chart

Dr. Vadym Mochalin

Associate Professor, Chemistry Department and Department of Materials Science & Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Nanodiamonds for drug delivery/theranostics, MXenes

Vadym Mochalin Quad Chart

Dr. Venkata Sriram Siddhardh Nadendla

Associate Professor, Computer Science

Research Focus

Pillar 4 - Cyber-physical-human systems, algorithmic fairness in kidney allocation

Dr. Nadendla Quad Chart

Dr. Manashi Nath

Professor, Chemistry

Research Focus

Pillar 2 - Non-enzymatic electrochemical biosensors (dopamine, glucose), point-of-care detection

Manashi Nath Quad Chart

Dr. Paul Nam

Associate Professor, Chemistry

Research Focus

Pillars 2, 3 - Biosensors, TBI/seed-quality biomarkers, smart oxygen sensor bandages

Paul Nam 2022

Dr. Gayla Olbricht

Professor of Mathematics and Statistics

Research Focus

Pillar 4 - Statistical genomics, differential methylation, TBI cluster analysis

Quad Chart- Gayla Olbricht

Dr. Robert Paige

Professor of Mathematics and Statistics

Research Focus

Pillar 4 - Statistical shape/image analysis, biomedical statistics

Robert Paige Quad Chart

Dr. Jonghyun Park

Interim Department Chair, Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Nanomaterials for brachytherapy/PDT, bioprinting, biodegradable batteries

Jonghyun Park Quad Chart

Dr. Seung-Jong (Jay) Park

KUMMER Endowed Department Chair, Computer Science

Research Focus

Pillar 4 - High-performance computing, AI-based mammogram/genome analysis, AlphaFold screening

Seung-Jong (Jay) Park Quad Chart

Dr. Amber Pete

Assistant Professor, Doshi Dept of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Microplastics, antibiotic resistance gene transfer, environmental health

Amber Pete- Quad Chart

Dr. V.A. Samaranayake

Curators' Teaching Professor, Department of Mathematics & Statistics; Associate Director of the Center for Statistical and Computational Modeling of Biological Complexity

Research Focus

Pillar 4 - Time series/reliability statistics, biological phenomena modeling

V A Samaranayake Quad Chart

Dr. Willis (Rick) Samson

Professor of Practice in Physiology, Department of Biological Sciences

Research Focus

Pillar 2 - Neuroendocrinology, orphan GPCR deorphanization, hypertension in pregnancy

Samson-CBR Quad Chart.pdf

Dr. Andrea Scharf

Assistant Professor, Biological Science

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Nanoparticle/pollution-induced premature aging, C. elegans models

Andrea Scharf Quad Chart

Dr. Julie Semon

Associate Professor, Biological Sciences

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Mesenchymal stem cell therapy, 3D-bioprinted stem cells, wound healing

Julie Semon Quad Chart

Dr. Katie Shannon

Teaching Professor and Director, Laboratory of Cytokinesis

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Cytokinesis regulation, cancer-relevant cell division mechanisms

Katie Shannon Quad Chart

Dr. Pablo Sobrado

Vitek/FBC Endowed Chair in Biochemistry, Professor, Chemistry

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Enzyme mechanisms, antibiotic/natural product biosynthesis, drug discovery

Pablo Sobrado- Quad Chart

Dr. Yun Seong Song

Director of Physical Human-Robot Interaction Laboratory, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 2 - Physical human-robot interaction, rehabilitation robotics, wearable mobility aids

Yun Seong Quad Chart

Dr. James Sterling

Vice Provost and Founding Dean of Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development Professor, Business and Information Technology

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Glycopolymer biophysics, glycocalyx drug delivery, biomolecular condensates

Quad Chart- James Sterling

Dr. Matthew Thimgan

Associate Professor, Biological Sciences

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Sleep/wakefulness biology, aging, metabolomic consequences of sleep loss

Quad Chart- Matthew Thimgan

Dr. Mark Towler

LINDA and BIPIN DOSHI PROFESSOR, Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Bioadhesives, mesoporous glass hemostats, laser-based musculoskeletal diagnostics

Mark Towler Quad Chart

Dr. Risheng Wang

Associate Professor, Chemistry

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - DNA-based drug delivery nanostructures, DNA nanotechnology

Risheng Wang Quad Chart

Dr. David Westenberg

Curators Distinguished Teaching Professor and Faculty Athletics Representative, Biological Sciences

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Antibacterial materials, biofilm assays, antimicrobial screening

Dave Westenberg Quad Chart

Dr. Jeffrey Winiarz

Associate Professor, Chemistry

Research Focus

Pillar 1 - Photonic/nanocrystal materials — general materials capability

Jeff Winiarz Quad Chart

Dr. Huiyuan Yang

Assistant Professor Computer Science

Research Focus

Pillar 2 - Affective computing, facial expression/multimodal AI for health monitoring

Huiyuan Yang- Quad Chart

Dr. Mostafa Yazdi

Assistant Professor, Linda and Bipin Doshi Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

Research Focus

Pillars 1, 3 - Immunoengineering scaffolds for bone repair, cancer nanovaccines

Mostafa Yazdi Quad Chart

Dr. Gina Yosten

Professor and Kummer Endowed Chair, Biological Sciences

Research Focus

Pillar 3 - Neuroendocrine physiology, GPCR ligand discovery, metabolic/endocrine disease

Dr. Gina Yosten

Adjunct Members

Dr. Parveen Bazard

Assistant Professor Chemical and Biochemical Eng. Department

Research Focus

Parveen Bazard- Quad Chart

Sonny Bal, MD, JD, MBA

Adjunct Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

About

Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Chief, Hip and Knee Division, University of Missouri, Columbia

Dr. Casey Burton

Director of Medical Research, Phelps County Regional Medical Center

Dr. Delbert E. Day

Curators’ Professor Emeritus, Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Xiaoliang Cheng

Research fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Dr. Honglan Shi

Research Professor Emerita, Chemistry

Research Focus

 Quad Chart- Honglan Shi

Steve Jung, PhD

Chief Technology Officer, MO-SCI Corporation

Dr. William Van Stoecker, MD

President & CEO, Stoecker & Associates and SpiderTek. , Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Missouri

About

Dr. Stoecker Biosketch

Quad Chart- Dr. Stoecker

Dr. Hu Yang

Adjunct Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Medical College of Wisconsin, Biomedical Engineering

Research Focus

Hu Yang

Staff

Debrina Weber

Administrative Assistant IV

Anna Chernatynskaya

Research Project Analyst Lead

Katie Tooley

Vivarium Senior Research Lab Technician