We are an interdisciplinary group of scientists and engineers who are developing novel platforms of next-generation therapeutics and diagnostics to improve the treatment of human diseases.

Principal Investigator

• 

  Omid Veiseh, PhD

  Professor of Bioengineering, CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research omid.veiseh@rice.edu

  

  

  Dr. Omid Veiseh, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Director of the Biotech Launch Pad at Rice University, where he leads a research program aimed at engineering next-generation treatments for a wide range of human diseases by leveraging the latest techniques in synthetic biology, immunoengineering, and materials science to develop innovative cell-based platforms for real-time production of biologics. He is also a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded multiple biotechnology companies.  These companies collectively have attracted ~ $500M in private and public investment capital.

  Dr. Veiseh received a dual Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering and Nanotechnology from the University of Washington. He completed his postdoctoral research with Prof. Robert Langer and Daniel G. Anderson at MIT and Harvard Medical School. Throughout his career, he has authored or co-authored more than 75 peer-reviewed publications, including those in Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Materials, Nature Medicine, and Nature Biomedical Engineering. He is an inventor of more than 40 pending or awarded patents.

Staff

• 

  Christian Schreib, PhD

  Assistant Research Professor christian.c.schreib@rice.edu

  B.S. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Trinity University, Class of 2018

  Ph.D Bioengineering, Rice University, Class of 2023
• 

  Danna Murungi

  Research Technician II

  B.S. Biology, B.S. Psychology; Prairie View A&M University, 2016
• 

  Zeshi (Curry) Wang

  Research Technician I zw68@rice.edu

  B.S. Bioengineering, Southwest Jiaotong University 2021.
  B.S. Biology, Georgia State University, 2021.
  M.S. Bioengineering, Rice University, 2023.
• 

  Bichtien Thach

  Lab Research Administrator bt53@rice.edu

  Bachelor of Arts degree in American Ethnic Studies from the University of Washington.

  Bichtien had a two-decade-long career at the University of Washington.

   
• 

  Mina Ghayour

  Research Technician I mcg11@rice.edu

  B.S. in Bioengineering, Rice University, 2024

  Pre-Medical Student
• 

  Chancellor Smith

  Research Technician II cs215@rice.edu

Postdoctoral Researchers

• 

  Shalini Pandey, PhD

  Post Doctoral Fellow sp156@rice.edu

  Integrated PhD: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research- Pune, India
• 

  Sajedeh Nasr Esfahani, PhD

  Post Doctoral Fellow Sn81@rice.edu

  Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2023
• 

  Tyler Guinn, MD, PhD

  Postdoctoral Fellow tg36@rice.edu
  PhD: Stony Brook University, Biomedical Engineering 2020

  MD: Stony Brook University, Renaissance School of Medicine 2022

  General Surgery Residency: Baylor College of Medicine 2022-Present
• 

  Mor Sela Golan, PhD

  Postdoctoral Fellow sm355@rice.edu

  B.Sc. Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 2018

  Ph.D. Chemical Engineering – Active Targeting of Nanoparticles for Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases of the Brain, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, 2024

Graduate Students

• 

  Samantha Fleury

  Ph.D. Candidate Samantha.T.Fleury@rice.edu

  B.S. Biology, University of Virginia, 2018
• 

  Cody Fell

  Ph.D. Candidate cf35@rice.edu

  B.S. Microbiology, Texas Tech University, 2016
  M.Sc. Biomedical Science – Biofabrication, Utrecht University, 2020
  M.Phil. Medical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, 2021
• 

  Chris Wright

  Ph.D Student chris.wright@rice.edu

  B.S. Electrical Engineering, Texas A&M University, Class of 2019
• 

  Martha Fowler

  Ph.D Candidate mf50@rice.edu

  B.S. Biomedical Science, Northern Arizona University, 2016
  M.S. Biology, Northern Arizona University, 2018
• 

  Lizzy Kelley

  Ph.D. Candidate

  B.S. Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Class of 2019
• 

  Anthony Davis

  Ph.D. Candidate aed15@rice.edu

  B.S. Biochemistry, Idaho State University, 2022
• 

  Dilrasbonu Vohidova

  Ph.D. Candidate bv15@rice.edu

  B.S. Biomedical Engineering, Wentworth Institute of Technology, 2022
• 

  Alvaro Moreno Lozano

  Ph.D. Candidate am256@rice.edu

  B.S. Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Class of 2022
• 

  Fangheng Hu

  Ph.D. Candidate fh18@rice.edu

  B.S. Pharmaceutical Engineering, Central South University, China

  M. Sc. Chemical Engineering, University of Southern California, 2020
• 

  Han Wang

  Ph.D. Student hw77@rice.edu
  B.S. Viticulture and Oenology (Hon), University of Adelaide, 2020

  M. Res. Molecular Plants and Microbial Science, Imperial College London, 2021
• 

  Nathan Brown

  Ph.D. Candidate nb53@rice.edu

  B.S. Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Class of 2019
• 

  Gillian Audia

  Ph.D Student ga33@rice.edu

  B.S. Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry, Northeastern University, 2023
• 

  Alejandra Cobos Perez

  Ph.D. Student ac256@rice.edu

  B.S. Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M Universiry, 2017 M.S. Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 2022
• 

  Grace May

  Ph.D Student gm52@rice.edu

  B.S. Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, 2023
• 

  Kailyn Nunez

  Ph.D Student kailyn.nunez@rice.edu

  B.S. Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, 2023
• 

  Jacob Cabler

  Ph.D Student jc258@rice.edu

  B.S. Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2021
• 

  Ludovica La Posta

  Ph.D. Student ll161@rice.edu

  B.S. Biotechnology, University of L’Aquila, 2021

  M.Sc. Biotechnology and Medical Biology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele
  University, 2024
• 

  Jake Schladenhauffen

  Ph.D. Student js352@rice.edu

  B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2018
• 

  Giorgia Zoaldi

  Ph.D. Student gz23@rice.edu
  B.S. Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, 2023
• 

  Cassidy Hart, MD

  Ph.D. Student ch182@rice.edu

  B.S. Biochemistry, American University, 2017

  M.D. New York Medical College, 2021

Undergraduates

• 

  Patrick Bednarz

  Undergraduate Researcher ptb3@rice.edu

  Mentor: Shalini Pandey

  Bioengineering

  Rice University, Houston, Texas, 77030

   

   
• 

  Michael Gill

  Undergraduate Researcher mjg15@rice.edu

  Mentor: Martha Fowler

  Bioengineering, Baker College

  Rice University, Houston, TX 77030
• 

  Yeonju Kim

  Undergraduate Researcher yk59@rice.edu

  Mentor: Cody Fell

  Bioengineering, Rice University, Class of 2025
• 

  Kat Rosner

  Undergraduate Researcher ker10@rice.edu

  Integrative Biology Major, Duncan College, class of 2024
  Mentor: Samira Aghlara-Fotovat

Visiting Students

• 

  Carmine Borgia

  Visiting PhD Student cb163@rice.edu

  B. S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Calabria, 2020

  M. Sc. Mechanical Engineering – Materials Area, University of Calabria, 2022

• 

  Mouchandra Paul

  Visiting PhD Student mp182@rice.edu

  Bachelor of Technology, Biotechnology,  National Institute of technology, Durgapur, 2020
  PhD student, Department of Chemical engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, 2020 to Present

Lab Alumni

• Samira Aghlara-Fotovat, Current Position: Chief of Staff; Research and Product Development Lead, Sentinel Therapeutics

  Julian Krause, Current Position: Medical Student, University of Düsseldorf, Germany

  Boram Kim, Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

  Amanda Nash, Current Position: Associate at McKinsey

  Sudip Mukherjee, Current Position: Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Technology (BHU)

  Siavash Parkhideh, Current Position: R&D Engineer II at Boston Scientific

  Mishal Ahmed,  Current Position: Research and Development Technician II at NuProbe, Inc.

  Michael Doerfert, Current Position: Bioengineer at Systemic Bio

  Bertha Castillo, Current Position: Research Technician at Bristol Myers Squibb

  Rohan Palanki,  Current Position: MD/Ph.D. student at U Penn

  Andrea Hernandez, Current Position: Ph.D. student at UT MD Anderson

  Emmery Hammond, Current Position: Student Duke

  Shirin Nouraein, Current Position: Ph.D. student at Rice University

  Trisha Ray, Current Position: Student at Cornell

  Nicholas Stevens, Current Position: Student at Texas A&M

  Cynthia Chen, Current Position: Student at Rice

  Isuru Somawardana, Current Position:  MD student at UT Southwestern

  Keeler Gonzales, Current Position: Engineer at Biotex

  Maria Ruocco (Jarvis), PhD, Current Position: Scientist at Lonza

  Manuela Sushnitha, Ph.D., Current Position: Scientist Astellas Pharma

  Nancy Cui, Current Position: Ph.D. student at MIT

  Lily Liang, Current Position: Ph.D. student at Johns Hopkins

  Rebecca Franklin, Current Position: Scientists at Dascena

  Jared Lee, Current Position: Student at Rice

  Irene Kwon, Current Position: Masters student at UC Berkley

  Zhuoran Yao, Current Position: MD student at UT Southwestern

  Esperanza Vazquez, Current Position: Student at U of Houston

  Yujin Kim, Current Position: Student at Rice

  Alex Lu, Current Position:  MD student at Baylor

  Kerou Zhang Ph.D., Current position: Postdoc at University of Washington

  Nina Xie Ph.D., Current Position: Scientist at Cephied

  Gavin Li Ph.D., Current Position: Postdoc at University of Washington