Biomedical Engineering Faculty

Matthew Petroll, Ph.D., Professor
Program Chair
Training Tracks: Biomaterials, Mechanics and Tissue Engineering; Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Petroll Lab
Research Interests: Cell motility and mechanics, corneal repair and regeneration, in vivo confocal imaging

Asaithamby Aroumougame, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Aroumougame Lab
Research Interests: Immunotherapy and Radiotherapy in cancer prevention and treatment; Premature aging and carcinogenesis; DNA damage response signaling in heart development

Shawn C. Burgess, Ph.D., Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Burgess Lab
Research Interests: NMR spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy in conjunction with the application of stable isotope tracers to study metabolic function

David Busch, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Busch Lab
Research Interests: Developing non- and minimally invasive optical tools to monitor deep tissues in health and disease, as well as throughout therapy.

Thomas Carroll, Ph.D., Professor
Training Track: Biomaterials, Mechanics and Tissue Engineering
Carroll Lab
Research Interests: Cancer, Cell Polarity, Developmental Biology, Morphogenesis, Stem/progenitor cells, Tissue engineering and regeneration

Jonathan Cheng, M.D., Associate Professor
Training Track: Biomaterials, Mechanics and Tissue Engineering
Cheng Lab
Research Interests: Nerve regeneration; long nerve gap repair; nerve-machine interface

Changho Choi, Ph.D., Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Choi Lab
Research Interests: In vivo ¹H and ¹³C MR spectroscopy; MRS applications in brain tumors and neuropsychiatric diseases; MR physics and MR method development

Rajiv Chopra, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Chopra Lab
Research Interests: Development of MR-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound for preclinical and clinical imaging

Caroline de Gracia Lux, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Training Track: Molecular and Translational Nanomedicine
de Gracia Lux Lab
Research Interests: Ultrasound contrast agent, perfluorocarbon emulsions, development of new ultrasound-based strategies for early detection and treatment of diseases

Reto Fiolka, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Fiolka Lab
Research Interests: The long-term goal of our lab’s research is to develop and implement imaging technologies that provide unprecedented insight into cancer biology.

Gerald Greil, M.D., Ph.D., Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Research Interests: Evaluate the use of newly designed biodegradable stints to treat pulmonary artery stenosis

Connie Hsia, M.D., Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging; Biomaterials, Mechanics and Tissue Engineering
Research Interests: Heart-lung interaction; lung morphometry; structure-function correlation of lung growth

Xun Jia, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging; Medical Physics
Jia Lab
Research Interests: High-performance computing for radiation therapy and medical imaging; radiation-dose calculation; Monte Carlo simulation. 3D/4D cone beam CT reconstruction; image-guided radiation therapy

Steve Jiang, Ph.D., Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging; Medical Physics
MAIA Lab
Research Interests: Cloud and GPU-based high-performance computing in medical physics and imaging; automatic radiotherapy treatment planning; adaptive radiotherapy; image-guided radiotherapy; low-dose and dynamic-cone-beam CT

Wen Jiang, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Wen Lab
Research Interests: Focuses on treating cancer sites of the central nervous system with radiation

Zoltan Kovacs, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Kovaks Lab
Research Interests: Generation and application of hyperpolarized¹³C-labeled compounds and⁸⁹Y-complexes for MRI/Radiopharmaceutical applications

Jacques Lux, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Training Track: Molecular and Translational Nanomedicine; Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Lux Lab
Research Interests: Bioresponsive nanomaterials for In vivo detection and therapy; targeted and activatable ultrasound (US) agents for the detection of inflammation and cancer

Ananth Madhuranthakam, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Madhuranthakam Lab
Research Interests: Development of novel MR-imaging techniques for whole-body cancer screening and staging

Craig Malloy, M.D., Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Malloy Lab
Research Interests: ¹³C MRS methods for measuring cardiac intermediary-metabolism flux and function analysis/neurotransmitter metabolism of human brain

Ralph P. Mason, Ph.D., C.Sci., C.Chem., Professor
Training Track: Molecular and Translational Nanomedicine; Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Mason Lab
Research Interests: Tumor pathophysiology and MR assessment of prognostic biomarkers/hypoxia and pH

Hamid Mirzaei, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Mirzaei Lab
Research Interests: Investigation of ubiquitin-dependent mechanisms and their role in tumor progression

Albert Montillo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Montillo Lab
Research Interests: Developing state-of-the-art machine-learning approaches to extract radiological imaging and imaging-genomic biomarkers for individualized prognostics in neuroscience and oncological applications

Ivan Pedrosa, M.D., Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Pedrosa Lab
Research Interests: Development of novel MRI techniques for improved diagnosis of abdominal/pelvic diseases and noninvasive in vivo assessment of physiology and response to therapy in tumors

Matthias Peltz, M.D., Associate Professor
Training Track: Biomaterials, Mechanics and Tissue Engineering
Research Interests: Heart, lung, and perfusion preservation, magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Satwick Rajaram, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Rajaram Lab
Research Interests: Spatial organization of tumors by combining machine identified phenotypes and existing pathology scoring within the framework established by cancer biology

Debabrata Saha, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Saha Lab
Research Interests: Role of cycloxygenase-2 in radiation and chemo-resistance, role of small molecule inhibitors as radio-sensitizers

Dean Sherry, Ph.D., Professor
Training Track: Molecular and Translational Nanomedicine; Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Research Interests: Responsive MRI contrast agents, targeted MR and PET agents, carbon-13 tracers of metabolism, high-field magnetic resonance spectroscopy in vivo

Baran Sumer, M.D., Professor
Training Track: Molecular and Translational Nanomedicine
Sumer Lab
Research Interests: Clinical application of nanoprobes with unique nanoscale behavior

Xiankai Sun, Ph.D., Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Sun Lab
Research Interests: Development of PET, SPECT, and MRI imaging probes to assess biological abnormalities and evaluation of disease treatment

Elena Vinogradov, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Vinogradov Lab
Research Interests: Endogenous and exogenous MRI contrast agents and mechanisms in vivo, CEST and PARACEST imaging, hyperpolarization

Jing Wang, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Wang Lab
Research Interests: Tomographic image reconstruction; cone-beam computed tomography; image-guided radiation therapy; medical imaging processing

Guanghua Xiao, Ph.D., Professor
Training Track: Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
Xiao Lab
Research Interests: My methodology research is focused on model development for high-dimensional data such as gene expression, epigenomics, copy number variation, proteomics, genome-wide RNAi functional screening data and brain image data.

Thiru Annaswamy, M.D., Professor
Research Interests: Physical medicine and rehabilitation, motor control, neuroscience

Jeffrey Cadeddu, M.D., Professor
Research Interests: Urology; laparoscopy, telesurgical mentoring

Ian Corbin, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Research Interests: Molecular imaging techniques and nanomedicine-technology development to better understand and characterize liver disease

Elizabeth Davenport, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Sub concussive head impact exposure in contact sports, traumatic brain injury, magnetoencephalography

Yasin Dhaher, Ph.D., Professor
Research Interests: Understand the basic biomechanical and neurophysiological properties of the lower limb after neurological lesions. Explore the neuro-mechanical underpinnings of lower limb impairments after stroke, with the goal of informing future clinical interventions.

Robert Eberhart, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus
Research Interests: Biomaterials; circulatory assist devices

Thomas Floyd, M.D., Professor
Research Interests: Prevention and early detection of neurological injury associated with surgery.

Xuejun Gu, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Research Interests: Image processing in radiation therapy; deformable-image registration; radiation-dose calculations; robotic control for patient positioning

Brian Hrycushko, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Tissue-response modeling in radiation therapy; brachytherapy

Mustafa Husain, M.D., Professor
Research Interests: General psychiatry, aging and geriatric issues, new applications of lead placement in ECT and novel treatments of Major Depressive Disorder including Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), and Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)

Michael Jessen, M.D., Professor
Research Interests: Circulatory assist devices; cardiac metabolism

Romaine Johnson, M.D., Associate Professor
Research Interests: Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, biomaterials, biomechanics, pediatric airway disorders

Lawrence Lavery, D.P.M., Professor
Research Interests: Wound therapy, tissue engineering

Matthew Lewis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Molecular-imaging instrumentation, linear and nonlinear diffraction tomography, tensor tomography, applied inverse problems

Li Liu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Development of reporter genes and evaluation of different gene reporters

Weiguo Lu, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Research Interests: Adaptive radiation therapy; treatment-plan optimization; radiation-dose calculations

Robert Mattrey, M.D., Professor
Research Interests: Novel Molecular-based Contrast Agents, with emphasis on ultrasound solutions, which can be used to detect and/or treat cancer, including image guided tumor ablation, ultrasound directed drug or gene delivery, or cell-based therapy.

Roderick McColl, Ph.D., Professor
Research Interests: fMRI; DICOMs

Paul Medin, Ph.D., Professor
Research Interests: Tissue-response modeling in radiation therapy; stereotactic radiation therapy

Jae Mo Park, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Development of noninvasive molecular imaging tools to elucidate in vivo metabolism

Arnold Pompos, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Research Interests: Particle-beam therapy; Monte Carlo simulations; biological effects of particle-beam therapy; biological optimization

Surendranath Reddy, M.D., Associate Professor
Research Interests: Biodegradable stents; cardiac catheterization – pediatric and adult congenital heart disease; hybrid interventions

Jimin Ren, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Research Interests: In vivo MRS for studies of energy and phospholipids metabolism in brain and skeletal muscle.

Scott Smith, Ph.D., Professor
Research Interests: Neural cardiovascular control during exercise; reflex dysfunction in heart failure; reflex dysfunction in hypertension

Todd Soesbe, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Clinical applications of new spectral CT technologies

Rathan Subramaniam, M.D., Ph.D., Professor
Research Interests: Linking imaging biomarkers; quantitative imaging using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT); single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT)

Animesh Tandon, M.D., Assistant Professor
Research Interests: MRI imaging in pediatric cardiology; 3D printing and computer modeling of congenital heart disease; predictive analytics on continuous data for pediatric cardiology

Durga Udayakumar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Radiogenomics with a special focus on identifying imaging measures extracted from quantitative MRI parameters as a noninvasive tool to better predict biological characteristics in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Tao Wang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Integrating structure, kinetics, and computation to understand the molecular determinants and regulatory mechanisms of microtubule dynamics

Tre Welch, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Biomaterial grafts, coatings and scaffolds; finite element analysis; polymer synthesis; bioresorbable polymer characterization

Yulong Yan, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Research Interests: High-performance computing; infrastructure for radiation therapy; radiobiological effects

Takeshi Yokoo, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor
Research Interests: Applied mathematics and MRI methods for translational research in liver imaging with special focus on evaluation of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)