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Department of Bioengineering
Newsletter
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This is a time of dramatic change for the Bioengineering Department. Consider the following:
Northeastern has launched the Mechanobiology Institute, born of the many faculty across the University that work to understand the interplay between mechanical forces and biological function. On July 1, Professor Ning Wang will join Northeastern to become the Director of the new Institute. Ning is one of the leading figures in the world in the area of 3D, in vitro techniques for quantitative intracellular mechanobiology. Dr. Wang’s personal research encompasses a variety of topics in cardiovascular biomechanics and physiology. He brings a level of leadership and stature that will help drive the new Institute forward. He joins a distinguished set of Northeastern already working in the area.
Nikolai Slavov has formed Parallel Squared Technology Institute, a non-profit, 'Focused Research Organization' with the mission of accelerating proteome biology research to illuminate the link between protein patterns, functional interactions and disease. In particular, focus will be on developing mass-spectrometry approaches to single-cell proteomics and their application to conditions including Alzheimer's disease.
The Institute is envisioned to be analogous to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, but focused on proteomics rather than genomics. It is funded through a $50 M donation from Schmidt Futures and Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of hedge fund Citadel.
We are rapidly winding up our faculty recruiting cycle for the year with two new core faculty members signed on, others still negotiating and a few joint hires of faculty whose departmental home will be elsewhere.
And, of course, I am stepping down from being Chair of Bioengineering. The Department will be interviewing five candidates for Chair over the next month, with hope of bringing one on board by January 1, 2024. At that point, my plan is to take a sabbatical at MGH, working with the neuropathologists on Alzheimer's disease... and to make occasional trips to Ghana to (with luck) establish a Bioinnovation Center there.
Finally, we are making initial plans for a 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Department of Bioengineering. The formation of the Department was approved by the University in December 2013, and was officially launched in January 2014. To celebrate its formation and the many, many successes since we plan to have a 10th Anniversary Symposium on January 11-12, 2024. Everyone who has been associated with the Department in any way will be invited. Planning is still in the very early stages. As we move forward, we will let you know more.
I feel a little bit like I'm caught in the script of "Everything Everywhere all at Once." It should be a fabulously exciting year. I'm fastening my seat belt. It could be quite the ride.
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Looking for an MS or PhD program?
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We Need People With Different
Perspectives to Solve Problems
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BioE Assistant Professor Mona Minkara speaks at the United Nations about the need for visually impaired people in the field of science earned her a standing ovation.
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The world needs more scientists with “the unseen advantage,” says Mona Minkara, assistant professor of bioengineering and affiliate faculty of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern.
“We need scientists of all walks of life. We need blind scientists. We need people from different perspectives to find the solutions that haven’t been solved,” says Minkara, who lost her sight in childhood due to macular degeneration and Cone-rod dystrophy.
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Goldwater Scholar Sets Sights on Medical and Doctoral Degrees |
Giona Kleinberg, E’23, is curious, ambitious, and passionate about research, all qualities reflected in—and nurtured by—his experience in Northeastern’s College of Engineering. Last year, he earned a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, opening new opportunities for him to apply his aptitude and enthusiasm for data analysis to the world of biomedical research. This year, as he prepares to graduate with a combined major in bioengineering and biochemistry, and a minor in data science, he is already laying plans for both a medical degree and a PhD. |
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Starting in his freshman year, Kleinberg immersed himself in research in the lab of Sandra Shefelbine, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, jointly appointed in bioengineering. There, he drew on his knowledge of data science to create image processing solutions for bioengineering lab applications. During his time in Shefelbine’s lab, he was the first author on a paper comparing novel image processing pipelines created for multiple deep learning algorithms; an image from his analysis appeared on the cover of the journal Cells & Development. Since then, he has published three other papers, with five more accepted or under review.
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BioE Associate Professors Guohao Dai and Aileen Huang-Saad were inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Fellows Class of 2023. Dai was elected “for contributions in vascular mechanobiology and 3D bioprinting vascular networks for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine applications” and Huang–Saad was elected “for outstanding contributions to the development of BME entrepreneurship education microenvironments and studying their impact on the engagement of diverse populations.”
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Dai and Huang-Saad Inducted as AIMBE Fellows
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‘I feel I have a very big task ahead,’ says first recipient of Northeastern’s Chanrai Family Graduate Scholarship |
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Kelvin Amakye remembers the clanking sound of his father’s keys.
“When you hear that noise, you definitely have to run toward your [room] and start to read,” he says.
His father was a strict disciplinarian, Amakye says, and it kept him and his brothers on their toes when they were growing up in Koforidua, a green city with almost 200,000 residents in the Eastern region of Ghana.
“I think it was worth it,” says Amakye, who is the first recipient of the Chanrai Family Graduate Scholarship, announced in March by Subodh Chanrai, a member of Northeastern’s Board of Trustees, during the 2023 Global Leadership Summit in Accra, Ghana.
The scholarship is intended to provide educational opportunities to promising young Ghanaians. Amakye, 23, will be pursuing a master’s degree in bioengineering in the College of Engineering at Northeastern.
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Pursuing Bioengineering PhD to Affect Patient Outcomes through Research |
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Kevin Bardon, PhD’23, bioengineering, began his doctoral studies after a 20-year career of academic and industry research, with a goal to lead independent research. At Northeastern, he has jointly filed for a patent for a real-time immune biomarker detection system, is preparing to publish several papers on optimized photoacoustic contrast agents, and he presented his research at professional gatherings.
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Alternative Spring Break Led Engineering Undergraduates Overseas
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For some Northeastern students, Spring Break 2023 lacked the usual party trip to Miami. One such group was Innovators for Global Health (IGH), a student organization consisting of undergraduate engineering students. Their Spring Break looked a little different and occurred all the way across the Atlantic: in Ghana, West Africa.
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IGH’s mission is to improve global health challenges through innovative medical device designs and global partnerships. The group’s recent business in Ghana mainly focused on building relationships with local medical facilities to determine medical device needs. Throughout the trip, they visited three different medical facilities, including Akyem Dwenase Health Centre and Kyebi Hospital (pictured above).
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Blanchet and Ndjigue Receive 2023 Compass Awards |
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Bioengineering students Joseph Blanchet, E’22, and Shandy Ndjigue, E’23, are recipients of the 2023 Compass Awards, which recognizes exemplary students from the senior class who, during their time on campus, have demonstrated a true dedication to a core set of values: leadership, volunteerism, academic integrity, and commitment to Northeastern.
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Celebrating National Engineers Week 2023 |
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The College of Engineering celebrated National Engineers Week with events including a ‘Break the Mold’ Fireside Chat with award-winning engineer and commentator Dr. Shini Somara and Dean Gregory Abowd; Cookies with the Dean event, which included snacks, photo and video booths, COE swag and a lot of COE pride; Breakout sessions with Shini Somara with select students and faculty showing our progressive, innovative engineering program, research, and community; and an Engineering for Everyone Expo hosted by the Center for STEM Education.
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Pictured above: Dr. Shini Somara (left) and Somara with Bioengineering Assistant Professor Mona Minkara (right) |
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“You study engineering, you get these amazing skills and then you go out to industry, and you basically invent stuff...The world is your oyster when you have engineering skills.”
Shini Somara, PhD, Mechanical Engineering, and Award-Winning Commentator and Reporter
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Interested in learning more? Contact us! |
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Northeastern University Department of Bioengineering | bioe.northeastern.edu |
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