Alumni

Anujan Ramesh

Anujan Ramesh

Graduate Student, BME2017-2023

Anujan obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering from SASTRA University, Thanjavur, India. His Research interests lie in the fields of targeted drug delivery and Nanomedicine in cancer models. He worked briefly at the laboratory of translational medicine, Harvard –MIT HST to complete his final semester project on Nano-theranostics. He used to play college level soccer and has won medals in various inter-college tournament. He also plays the violin.

Nathan Piligian

Nathan Piligian

Undergraduate Research Assistant2020-2023

Nathan is a rising junior majoring in chemical engineering with a concentration in biochemical engineering. He has interests in the immune system and its ability to fight cancer. He wants to gain knowledge on how the immune system can be stimulated through drug delivery by nanoparticles. He hopes to pursue a career in the research and production of pharmaceuticals. If he isn’t in the lab, he can probably be found on the tennis courts.

Hong Nguyen

Hong Nguyen

Undergraduate Research Assistant2019-2022

I am a rising junior in Chemical Engineering major with ICONs concentration. My life has been attached to Chemistry when I was a little girl since my mom is a Chemistry teacher. In future, I hope to research and learn more about the chemistry in our body to use it at a tool to cure diseases. As of now, I am an Event Coordinator at SASE ( Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers) and Academic Chair for AIChE ( American Institution of Chemical Engineering). I love meeting new people and getting to know them. I also like swimming so you will probably see in the pool during school year.

Rohan Goyal

Rohan Goyal

Undergraduate Research Assistant2021-2022

Rohan is a sophomore pursuing a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, interested in learning more about how the aspects within ChE apply to our daily lives. While he is not entirely sure about what path he wants to choose within Chemical Engineering, he is a passionate fast learner, seeking to do research in the new and golden age of nanotechnology that he has slowly become more and more intrigued by, and learn about its potential applications in the therapeutic industry. In his free time, he loves driving, playing video games, and listening to heavy bass music frequently.

Anthony Brouillard

Anthony Brouillard

Graduate Student, ChemE2017-2022

Anthony obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI. His research interests include nanotechnology and drug delivery. He worked for three years in the Pharmaceutical Engineering Laboratory at the University of Rhode Island as an undergraduate research assistant. While in that laboratory he studied the safety and efficacy of aerosolized nanocomposite microparticles for the treatment of pulmonary diseases, including cystic fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension. When he’s not in the lab, he enjoys playing video games and hanging out with colleagues.

Dipika Nandi

Dipika Nandi

Graduate Student, VASCI2018-2022

Dipika is a Graduate Student of Animal Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences (ABBS) Program. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology with integrated Master’s degree in Business Administration from Graphic Era University, Dehradun in 2014. Further, she worked as a Project Junior Research Fellow in Tier II UNESCO affiliated DBT Govt of India Institute, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad till March 2016 where she worked on Pathophysiology of Thrombocytopenia in Dengue Infection and Effects of Haemolysis on megakaryopoesis and thrombopoesis in haemolytic disease conditions. She also worked on binding of WC1-domains (PRR/Co-receptor of gamma delta T-cells) with Mycobacterium bovis Ag. and the role of DMBT1 in breast cancer before she joined my lab. Currently, she is interested in Cancer Immunotherapeutics and Immunotheranostics. Outside lab, she enjoys cooking, driving, sketching, and spending time with family and friends.

Anh Nguyen

Anh Nguyen

Graduate Student, ChemE2017-2022

Anh received her BS in Chemistry from Murray State University, Kentucky in 2017. Her undergraduate research focused on synthesizing poly(ionic liquid)s polyester networks and investigating their physicochemical and electrochemical properties. Motivated by seeking practical methods for a more effective medical treatment, she started her graduate school with interests in studying cells interaction and engineering immune-therapeutics delivery. In free time, she plays the piano, do some sketching and painting, and cooking different cuisines.

Anna Boloyan

Anna Boloyan

Undergraduate Research Assistant2019-2022

Anna is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering with a Biochemical Engineering concentration and is planning on pursuing an Engineering Management minor. She has always been interested in immunoengineering and is especially intrigued by the use of microfluidics to mimic lifelike conditions, which guides our understanding of interactions between cells.

McLean Taggart

McLean Taggart

Undergraduate Research Assistant2019-2022

McLean is a junior studying chemical engineering with a concentration in biochemical engineering as well as applied mathematics. He has interests in researching immunoengineering as he would like to gain a deeper understanding of the human immune system as well as methods to modify how it interacts with the body as a whole. He gained this interest by taking professor Kulkarni’s introduction to biological engineering course which led him to pursue research under him. In his free time, McLean is a member of the UMass powerlifting team as well as a contributor to the UMass chapter of Engineers Without Borders.

Simran Singh

Simran Singh

Undergraduate Research Assistant2019-2022

Simran is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Biochemical Engineering and is pursuing a minor in Engineering Management. She has an interest in immunoengineering and the use of nanoparticle drug delivery systems as treatments for diseases such as cancer. She hopes to continue doing research after she completes her Bachelor’s degree, and wants to obtain a PhD in the future.

Aishwarya Menon

Aishwarya Menon

Graduate Student, ChemE2020-2021

Aishwarya completed her bachelor’s in Oils, Oleochemicals and Surfactant Technology from Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai, India. Over the course of her degree, she interned at National Chemical Laboratories, Pune in the catalysis division and at Huntsman Corporation, Mumbai in R&D Textile Effects. In her senior year, she worked on a seminar titled “Surfactants in Drug Delivery”, which led her to be interested in targeted drug delivery. She loves reading, chocolate, and playing the piano and the violin.

Vaishali Malik

Vaishali Malik

Graduate Student, MCB2019-2021

Vaishali received her BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2019. Her undergraduate research focused on the role of fluid dynamics and immune cell infiltration in the development of atherosclerosis. Her research interests include targeted drug delivery systems and nanomedicine in immune modulated disease models. Outside of lab she enjoys playing field hockey, learning and trading stocks, and learning architectural design.

AnnMarie Marquis

AnnMarie Marquis

Undergraduate Research Assistant2018-2021

My name is AnnMarie and I am a senior studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. My research interests include immunotherapy treatments and studying more centralized drug delivery by use of nanoparticles. I also have a special interest in the relationship between the dysregulated immune system and autoimmune disorders. I hope to eventually pursue a career in medicine whether it be on the research side or the clinical side. In my free time, I enjoy volunteering for the town of Amherst as a firefighter, hiking, and spending time with my dog.

Nanlan (Alisha) Yang

Nanlan Yang

Undergraduate Research Assistant2018-2021

Nanlan is a senior chemical engineering student on the biochemical concentration hoping to pursue an MD in the future. She will begin her research on designing nanoparticles for chemotherapy as well as immunotherapy functions. Prior research experience involved data collection using Hertzman-Russell models in education technology leading to a co-authored publication: “Expanded Education Using the Falcon Telescope Network International Sites” .
Besides academics, Nanlan loves to knit, read, and drink chocolate milkshakes.

Krishna Shah

Krishna Shah

Undergraduate Research Assistant2019-2021

Krishna is a senior in chemical engineering with a concentration in biochemical engineering. When she took her introductory classes for chemical engineering, she realized that she had developed a passion for the immunotherapy aspect of chemical engineering. In the past, she has worked as a research assistant where she performed laboratory experiments, including protein expression in bacterial, insect, and mammalian expression systems. In addition, she has worked in the protein purification department and performed protein analysis through Western Blot, SDS-PAGE, analytical SEC. During her leisure time, she plans events for the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers, South Asian Student Association and Hindu YUVA.

Kaleb Seifert

Kaleb Seifert

Undergraduate Research Assistant2019-2020

Kaleb is a junior Biomedical Engineering and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology double major student. His research interests involve immuoengineering, specifically understanding cell to cell interactions as he wants to pursue a career in immunology. In his free time, he is a part of the ballroom dance team as well as the marching band.

Nilesh Deshpande

Nilesh Deshpande, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher2019-2020

Nilesh completed his master’s degree in Analytical Chemistry from SRTM University Nanded, India. He then worked in pharmaceutical industry for one year as a quality control officer. He obtained his PhD in chemistry from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, India where he worked with Prof. M. Jayakannan on Polysaccharide nanovesicles for combination and targeted drug delivery to cancer cells. Currently he is interested in exploring polymers for Cancer Immunotherapeutics and Immunotheranostics. Apart from research, he enjoys playing cricket, cooking, hanging out with friends and reading books.

Amrish Prabakaran

Amrish Prabakaran

Visiting Research Scholar2020

I’m Amrish Prabakaran, a final year undergraduate majoring in Biotechnology, from SASTRA University, India. I have an interest in the fields of Immunology and Neuroscience, but always eager to learn new things and explore different areas in the broad spectrum of science. I am hoping to pursue my career in Research fields, after my Undergraduate degree. I have previous hands-on experience in the field of electrochemical sensors, where my work is about to get published. I also have worked in Biofilm Laboratory in SASTRA for a short time. I have secured the National level first rank in “Neuroscience of Human Movements”, conducted by NPTEL in Nov 2019. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, if not I’ll just see movies and relax.

Sri Vidhya Subramanian

Sri Vidhya Subramanian

Visiting Research Scholar2020

I’m Sri Vidhya Subramanian, currently a final year undergraduate at SRM IST, Chennai in the department of Biotechnology. My area of research interest is tumor immunology and I wish to pursue a research career. I worked as an undergraduate researcher at Molecular Immunology lab, SRM IST where I studied the immunomodulatory effects of Probiotic formulation on Human Mast Cells. My experiences as an intern include working at National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore which aimed at studying the promoter upregulation of CEACAMs in case of cervical cancer. I have also undergone a one-month training in different immunological and biochemical techniques from Cancer Institute WIA, Chennai. I have been actively involved in my college co-curricular activities as the student organizer of the International conference of Immunology (2019) and as the workshop organizer in my college department fest (Rariora) consecutively for 3 years. I have passed the lower grade vocal music examination conducted by the Tamil Nadu government with a distinction.

Noorul Shaheen

Noorul Shaheen

Visiting Research Scholar2020

Shaheen is an undergraduate student in Biotechnology in SRM Institute of Science and Technology. . She has profound interest in Immunotherapy and hopes to continue her research after undergraduate program. She has undergone research internship at IISER, India where she worked with dengue viral protein and finding possible intervention using natural compounds. When she is not in lab, she enjoys reading novels, listening to music and painting.

HAYAT ANU RANJANI

HAYAT ANU RANJANI

Research Scholar2020

I am pursuing my bachelor’s in technology in Genetic Engineering in SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India. I am profoundly interested in molecular pathology, cancer biology, medical genetics, molecular genetics and molecular pharmacology. I worked as an Undergraduate Researcher at the Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering, SRM University, where I studied the expression of TBX3 in postnatal developmental stages of liver and brain tissues in mice and its correlation to carcinogenesis. I have also undergone a one-month Research Internship at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, India where I conducted a comparative study on the accuracy of gene prediction tools-AUGUSTUS and FGENESH in Prunus persica. I am immensely passionate about Science and I enjoy spending time with my family, exploring places, dining and watching movies.

Sahana Kumar

Sahana Kumar

Research Scholar2018-2020

Sahana Kumar completed her Bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering from SASTRA University, India. Her area of interest includes Cancer Biology and Molecular Biology. She worked as a summer intern at IIT Madras, India where she remediated contaminated soils by various biomediated processes. She has also undergone a one month training on different molecular biology techniques from Anna University, India. She is a Dean’s lister awardee for being in the top 10% of the university. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Indian classical dance. She has also completed a course in German language.

Hanna Scher

Hanna Scher

Undergraduate Research Assistant2020

My name is Hanna, and I am a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering with a Concentration in Biochemical Engineering. I am doing an internship at Agilent Technologies where I work with the sales team promoting our Cells Analysis XF which is used for differentiating cancer cells from normal cells. I also do a lot of analyzing on other companies and research teams in order to figure out if our devices can be used for their research. I joined Kulkarni lab since I am interested in working on cancer immunotherapeutics and studying the interactions between tumor cells and immune cells. Outside of the academics, I work at a bakery, and I love hanging out with friends, traveling, and cooking.

Harriet Smith

Harriet Smith

Undergraduate Research Assistant2020

Harriet is a junior Chemical Engineering student concentrating in Biochemical Engineering. She has a great interest in biotechnology and immunotherapy and hopes to pursue research following her undergraduate studies. Over the past couple of summers, Harriet has explored the business side of the biotech & pharmaceutical industry and aims to one day contribute to translational research, helping to bring emerging technologies to light. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing ice hockey, and spending time with friends.

Dezyre Akins

Dezyre Akins

Undergraduate Research Assistant2020

Dezyre is a senior Chemical Engineering student concentrating in Biochemical Engineering. She has an interest in oncology research and immunotherapy and hopes to pursue research or manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry following her undergraduate studies. Dezyre works as an RA on campus in addition to her studies. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, reading, rock climbing, and spending time with family/friends and her dog.

Anup Chauhan

Anup Chauhan

Undergraduate Research Assistant2019

Anup is a junior Chemical Engineering student with a Biochemical Engineering Concentration and is planning on pursuing a computer science minor. He has long been intrigued by bioengineering and is especially interested in glycan engineering, which helps us understand how cells interact with each other.

Claire Kang

Claire Kang

Undergraduate Research Assistant2019

Claire is a sophomore chemical engineering student who plans to concentrate on biochemical engineering. Her research interests are immunotherapy and cancer biology, and she is very curious about how the human immune system works. She wants to pursue a career in the medical field, hoping to investigate effective medical treatments for a variety of diseases. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her dog, hanging out with friends and watching movies.

Dhiren Mistry

Dhiren Mistry

Undergraduate Research Assistant2019

Dhiren is a junior undergraduate in chemical engineering pursuing a biochemical concentration. His research interests include immunotherapy treatments and renewable energy technology and hopes to pursue research in his future. Dhiren is a member of the University’s marching band where he plays the euphonium. In his free time, he enjoys learning about chemistry, composing music, and working for the UMass catering department.

Syed Shahzad

Syed Shahzad

Undergraduate Research Assistant2019

My name is Syed and I am a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Biochemical Engineering. I am looking to pursue a career in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry after college. I joined the Kulkarni lab because I am very curious about immunotherapeutics and how they combat various diseases. Outside of academics, I enjoy sports, hiking, hanging out with friends, and hold an E-Board position for Habitat for Humanity here at Umass.

Amanda Adams

Amanda Adams

Undergraduate Summer Intern2019

Amanda is an undergraduate student at the University of Rochester in New York. She is majoring in biomedical engineering with a concentration in cell and tissue engineering and minoring in Spanish. She runs for the varsity cross country and track teams and sings in the women’s chorus. Amanda is from Williamsburg, Massachusetts and she enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, swimming, and skiing.

SHANKARA NARAYANAN

SHANKARA NARAYANAN

Visiting Research Scholar 2019

Shankar is an undergraduate student in Biotechnology from SASTRA University, Thanjavur, India. His areas of interests are cardiovascular biology and cancer biology. He has worked in the Vascular Biology lab in SASTRA where he has evaluated the effects of using mitonutrients in IR induced rats. He has come to this lab to do his final year project. He has completed A1 in German language. He plays Mridangam. He loves to watch movies, play video games in his free time.

SHRUTHI POLLA RAVI

SHRUTHI POLLA RAVI

Visiting Research Scholar 2019

Shruthi is an undergraduate student majoring in Biotechnology from SASTRA University, India. Her areas of interest are immunology and neuroscience. She completed an internship at Global calcium, a pharmaceutical company dealing with the manufacture of various supplements and nutraceuticals. She is multi-linguistic and loves to read, travel and listen to music.

Bianca Endozie

Bianca Endozie

Undergraduate Research Assistant 2019

Bianca is a senior undergraduate student double majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Chemistry, and a member of the honors college. Her graduate school aspirations include a degree in chemical or biological engineering. Over the summer, she worked as a research assistant at Brandeis University for the MRSEC REU program studying active matter. On campus, Bianca works as a bus driver and is treasurer of the International Students’ Club (ISC). She enjoys chess, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family.

William Paing

William Paing

Undergraduate Research Assistant 2019

I am a senior double majoring in Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry. From January to August 2018, I worked as a Project Coordinator at AbbVie in a coop program and assisted with the Production and Project Management. I am a member of both ISPE and AIChE. During my free time, I like watching movies, playing piano and hiking.

Daniel Ssozi

Daniel Ssozi

Undergraduate Research Assistant 2019

My name is Daniel Ssozi, I am a second semester junior under the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major here at UMass Amherst. Prior to this lab I worked in a Neurology lab at the Navy Yard campus of Massachusetts General Hospital. During my time in the lab I worked very closely with the lab manager learning basic lab techniques such as, cell culture, western blotting, and PCR to list a few. Outside of school and research I work in a direct care home looking after mentally and physically disabled individuals. I love this work, but I also love research and I can not wait to make an impact with it.

Emily Ishak

Emily Ishak

Undergraduate Research Assistant 2019

Emily is an undergraduate student double majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Comparative Literature. This past summer, she worked as a research assistant in a photomedicine laboratory through a Harvard-MIT HST summer program. On campus, Emily works as a Resident Assistant and is involved in a variety of clubs. She speaks Arabic and French and enjoys writing, baking, and spending time with family and friends.

William McInerney

William McInerney

Undergraduate Research Assistant 2019

William McInerney is a senior Chemical Engineering student pursuing a biochemical concentration. He is also a part of the Commonwealth Honors College and is conducting his honors research in making nanoparticles for T cell therapy. Wil is vice president of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society and a member of AIChE. In his free time, Wil likes to be outdoors doing things like hiking, skiing, fishing, and rock climbing. He also enjoys cooking, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family.

Maximilian Marek

Maximilian Marek

Undergraduate Research Assistant 2019

Max is a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering and a member of the honors iCons program. Over the summer, he was a participant for the Tulane University SMART-REU program studying polymer dewetting of polycaprolactone. Max is also a member of the UMass Hoop Band and treasurer of the on-campus chapter of ISPE. Outside of his academics, he enjoys cooking, playing his saxophone, and is a third degree black belt in taekwondo that continues training at Amherst Martial Arts.

Thomas Douglas

Thomas Douglas

Undergraduate Research Assistant2018

I am an undergraduate chemical engineer and am an active member of the University of Massachusetts Amherst community; I am a leader in the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering and have the pleasure of being a part of the UMass ski and board club. I enjoy my academics as well as outside reading, both scientific journals and the classics, but find immense pleasure in sporting mainly wind surfing, snowboarding, and scuba diving.

Mathangi Lakshmipathi

Mathangi Lakshmipathi

Visiting Research Scholar2018

Mathangi is an undergraduate student from SRM University, Chennai, India from the Department of Biotechnology. Her area of interest focuses on Cancer Biology and Immunology. She worked as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for a year at the Molecular Immunology Laboratory at SRM University where she examined the immuno-modulatory effects of Probiotics on Human Mast Cells. She was also the student representative and organized various events for her department and was the newsletter editor for two consecutive years. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, singing and writing.

Mahak Samdaria

Mahak Samdaria

Visiting Research Scholar2018

I am Mahak Samdaria, a postgraduate student at SRM University, Chennai, India. I completed my Bachelor’s degree from an Anna University affliated college, Rajalakshmi Engineering College from Chennai. My area of interest lies in Cancer Biology and Genetic studies. I have done my B.tech project in Sankara Nethralaya Hospital, Chennai in the Genetics and Molecular Biology Laboratory on validation and segregation of retinal degenerative genes. I have interned at Cavinkare Pvt. Ltd., Chennai on “ Protective effects of various vegetable oils and effects of sunscreens supplemented oils (sun-induced) in the prevention of chemical damage in hair, permeation of antioxidants into hair and studies on the development of plant based mast cell stabilizers”. I have done a project on studying the carbohydrate metabolizing enzyme activities and kinetic studies of an anti-diabetic plant lead compound at SRM University. I was a member of the World Union Debating Championship ‘2014. I enjoy cooking, reading books, exploring new places and spending time with friends and family.

Seanu Meena Sangeetha

Seanu Meena Sangeetha

Visiting Research Scholar2018

I am Seanu Meena Sangeetha, a graduate student in Medical Nanotechnology at SASTRA University, Thanjavur, India. My area of interest focuses on Nano medicine for the therapy of cancer. I did my previous project in Cellular Dyshomeostasis Lab (CDHL) at SASTRA University were I examined the effect of Rutile titanium dioxide nanoparticles (RTNPs) on liver cells. I enjoy Dancing, Abstract painting and playing Basketball.

Prior to UMass Amherst:
  • V. Jayashree, Biotechnology, SASTRA University2015
  • B. Harishankar, Biological Engineering, SASTRA University2015
  • Seema Sehrawat, Associate Professor, Shiv Nadar University,2015 – 2017
  • Rajani Madan, Visiting professor, Emanuel College, Boston2016
  • Siva Natarajan, Graduate Student, University of Michigan2014 – 2016
  • Ashwin Iyer, Research Associate, BWH, Boston, MA2015
  • Anand Murali, Biological Engineering, SASTRA University2015
  • Ramya R., Biotechnology, SASTRA University2015
  • Vishruti Vaikundan, Biotechnology, SRM University2015
  • Rupasree Srikumar, Bioengineering, SRM University2015
  • Aparna Chakravarty, Research Associate, University of Kansas, KS2015
  • Vineeth Chandrasekar, Invictus Oncology, India2015 – 2016
  • K. R. Sri Aishvarya, Biotechnology, SRM University2016
  • Christy Charles, Biotechnology, SRM University2016
  • Samyuktha Suresh, Biotechnology, SRM University2016
  • Harshangda Bhatnagar, Biotechnology, SRM University2016
  • Anuradha Subramanian, Bioengineering, SASTRA University2016
  • Sharada Swaminathan, University of Montreal, Canada2016
  • Sushmetha Ananthanarayanan, Bioengineering, SASTRA University2016
  • Somesh Mohapatra, Materials Engineering, IIT Roorkee2016
  • Aditya Chindhade, Chemical Engineering, BITS, Pilani2016
  • Shreya Kumar, Electrical Engineering, BITS, Pilani2016
  • Tanmaye N, Electrical Engineering, BITS, Pilani2016
  • Driti Ashok, Genetic Engineering, SRM University2016
  • Preethi Kesavan, Genetic Engineering, SRM University2016
  • Anvita S., Biomedical Engineering, SRM University2016
  • Lavanya Ranganathan, Biomedical Engineering, SRM University2016
  • Sheetal Sreeram, Bioengineering, SASTRA University2017
  • Ramya C., Biotechnology, SASTRA University2017
  • Srikar N., Biotechnology, SASTRA University2017