Current Postdoctoral Fellows, Visiting Scholars, and Ph.D and M.Sc students/candidates
Abbas is currently a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering and has begun his studies in September 2020 under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Chen at the University of Saskatchewan. He got his master's degree in Biomedical Engineering, Biomaterials, and bachelor's degree in Materials Science Engineering, Metallurgy. Abbas possesses progressive research experience in the field of Biomaterials since 2013. He is a highly motivated, creative, and energetic researcher with strong project management skills. During his bachelor’s thesis, Abbas synthesized hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and evaluated their biocompatibility by using Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells for tissue engineering applications. His master project was synthesizing of novel biodegradable Magnesium alloys and studied the biocompatibility, bio-corrosion, physical and mechanical properties of synthesized Mg-Zn-Ca alloys and Bioceramics for orthopedic implants and minimally invasive surgeries applications. His Ph.D. project mainly focused on 3D Bioprinting of tissue-engineered scaffolds.
Adam is a medical doctor currently researching in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and he also works as a pre-clinical instructor in the College of Medicine. Outside of his research, Adam has numerous interests, but his passions are in STEM promotion, Global Health, entrepreneurship, and interprofessional education. He performs a lot of volunteer work in these areas, including founding Med Hack Enterprises Inc., serves as the president of the Saskatoon Métis Local 126 and a director of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, and is a mentor to Indigenous students. Due to his work, Adam has received numerous Indspire Scholarships, the University of Saskatchewan MSc Devolved Graduate Scholarship, and the Indigenous Graduate Leadership Award. Adam grew up on a small farm in rural Southwestern Saskatchewan.
Emilia is currently a MSc. student in Biomedical Engineering and has begun her studies in September 2020, under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Chen. She attained her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Guanajuato, in Mexico, with a year abroad at INSA Lyon, France, in 2017, specializing in modeling and experimentation. She did a MITACS research internship at the University of Saskatchewan during summer of 2019, working with 3D bioprinting of myocardial tissue scaffolds under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Chen. Outside of research, she works in a hot air balloon team, as crew member. Her MSc research is focused on CFD simulations on bio-inks through the 3D bioprinter extruder.
Farinaz is a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. She started her program in September 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Silvana Papagerakis, Prof. Petros Papagerakis, and Prof. Daniel Chen. Farinaz is working on oral drug delivery in the college of dentistry and the College of Engineering. Her main interests include dentistry, tissue engineering, and drug delivery systems. She worked on myocardial tissue regeneration as her master’s project at the University of Amir Kabir, Iran.
Kathryn is an MSc. student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, who started her program in September 2023 under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Chen. She attained her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. During her bachelor’s degree, Kathryn worked on machine learning models for predicting the survival outcome of liver cancer patients and on the printability of biomaterial solutions for extrusion bioprinting. Her MSc research is focused on bioink development and in-vitro modelling for respiratory tissue engineering. Separate from research, Kathryn volunteers on many councils at the university including the Engineering Graduate Community Council, University Hiring Committees and on the Student Forum. She is also passionate about teaching and has been a teaching assistant in a variety of undergraduate courses.
Nuraina is an early career researcher and biomaterial scientist with a keen interest in advanced 3D tissue models. She graduated with a PhD in Materials Science from Monash University in 2020. Nuraina is currently a postdoctoral fellow supported by the Living Skies Postdoctoral Fellowship. She works collaboratively between Vaccine Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) and Division of Biomedical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan. Before joining VIDO, Nuraina was employed as a researcher at the Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Malaya, Malaysia exploring cardiac scaffolds and microfluidic sensing systems as biomedical diagnostic tools. In her current role, Nuraina focuses on developing advanced 3D lung models using bioprinting technologies to study interactions between highly infectious respiratory pathogens and host microenvironments. Her area of interests include functional biomaterials, tissue engineering, 3D bioprinting and organ chips.
Samira is taking her first steps into the world of a Ph.D. program in the Mechanical Engineering Department with the mentorship of Dr. Daniel Chen and Dr. Ning Zhu. Her research is focused on mechanical characterization of tissue scaffolds by means of synchrotron imaging and the finite element method. When she's not knee-deep in research, you'll find Samira in nature, probably hiking with her ever-present companion, her dog, Della! 🌿🐾
Xavier is an M.Sc. student in Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Chen at the University of Saskatchewan since September 2020. He also received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. He has experience in agricultural biomass processing for transportation and treatment processes; his current areas of interest are in biomaterials, tissue engineering, and scaffold fabrication.
