PEOPLE
Dr. Richard C. Willson
Huffington-Woestemeyer Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Professor of Biochemical & Biophysical Sciences
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, Massachusetts
M.S. in Chemical Engineering | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, California
B.S. in Chemical Engineering (Honors) | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, California
Office Location S229, Engineering Building 1
RESEARCH FACULTY
Dr. Katerina Kourentzi
Research Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering | University of Houston | Houston, Texas
M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering | University of Houston | Houston, Texas
Diploma (Chemical Engineering) | National Technical University | Athens, Greece
Research Areas: My focus is on the development of diagnostics for proteins and pathogens at the interface of engineering, nanotechnology and biology. I possess technical background in chemical engineering and biotechnology and broad understanding of the practices in diagnostics coupled with extensive lab bench and scientific writing experience.
Dr. Binh V. Vu
Research Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering | University of Houston | Houston, Texas
B.S. in Chemical Engineering | University of Houston | Houston, Texas
B.S. in Biology | University of Houston | Houston, Texas
Research Areas:
- Novel reporters in point-of-care (POC) detection methods: I am working on improving the sensitivity of POC rapid tests with novel light-emitting reporters that are detectable with a smartphone camera.
- Process analytical technology (PAT): I am working on methods to measure and characterize biologics from the bioprocess stream in real time.
Awards: Young Innovator Award in the Cullen College of Engineering for 2021-2022
POST DOCTORAL FELLOWS
Dr. Margarita Ortiz Martinez
Post Doc
Ph.D. in Biotechnology | Tecnológico de Monterrey´s Monterrey | Monterrey, Mexico
Master of Science with a major in Pharmacy | Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León | Monterrey, Mexico.
Bachelors degree in Biology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry | Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León | Monterrey, Mexico.
Research Areas: My research has focused on evaluating the bioactive potential of new compounds in in vitro models, with a special focus on bioactive proteins. Currently, as a part of the Bioengineering and Medical Devices Unit of the Institute of Obesity Research, I am involved in the project “Lateral flow platforms for the early detection of metabolic disorders and obesity protein biomarkers in children in collaboration with the University of Houston.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Yogita Pal
Ph.D. Student, (Material Science and Engineering)
Master of Technology (Bioprocess Technology) | Institute Of Chemical Technology | Mumbai, India
Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) | Shivajirao S Jondhale College Of Engineering | Kalyan, India
Research Areas:
- Point-of-care: I am working on developing lateral flow assay for infectious diseases such as, Rickettsial disease, Norovirus and HIV.
- Analytical development: Developing technology to study rapid in-process IgG detection using Fluorescent Z-domain in a mic and read assay format
Fouja Samsad Meem
Email: fsmeem@cougarnet.uh.edu
Ph.D. Student, (Department of Biology and Biochemistry)
M.Sc. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) | University of Dhaka | Dhaka, Bangladesh
B.Sc. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) | University of Dhaka | Dhaka, Bangladesh
Research Areas: My research focuses on developing point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools for detecting various analytes. Specifically, I am working on lateral flow assays (LFA) that use novel reporter particles to detect toxins with high sensitivity and specificity.
Suman Rai
Ph.D. Student, (Department of Biology and Biochemistry)
M.Sc. in Medical microbiology | Tribhuvan University | Nepal
B.Sc. in Microbiology | Tribhuvan University | Nepal
Research Areas:
- I am working on a bacterial surface display of the protein (that binds to IgG) and performing biophysical characterization of the surface-displayed protein.
Vijay Maranholkar
Ph.D. Student, (Department of Biology and Biochemistry)
Master of Technology (Bioprocess Technology) | Institute of Chemical Technology | Mumbai, India
B.E. (Biotechnology) | Kolhapur Institute of Technology’s College of Engineering | Kolhapur, India
Research Areas:
- Downstream processing: I am working on purification of human cancer biomarker expressed in bacterial host.
- Biophysical characterization: I am working on biophysical characterization of modified protein A ligand
Anjali Drugkar
Research Assistant – PhD Candidate in Biology and Biochemistry
M. Tech. (Bioprocess Technology) | Institute of Chemical Technology | Mumbai, India
B. Tech. (Biotechnology) | Sinhgad College of Engineering | Pune, India
Research Areas: I am working on point-of-care diagnostics development based on nucleic acid amplification using novel detection techniques.
Anjumariya Kottarathil
Ph.D. Student, Department of Biology and Biochemistry
M.Sc. (Biophysics) | University of Madras | Chennai, India
B.Sc. (Physics) | Madras Christian College | Chennai, India
Research Areas: I am working on the development of lateral flow assay (LFA) technology for antibody quality assessment.
Austin Hahn
Ph.D Student, Department of Biology and Biochemistry
B.S. in Biochemical/Biophysical Sciences | University of Houston | Houston, Texas
Research Areas: I am developing lateral flow assays that utilize high sensitivity reporters for use in reader development, point-of-care diagnostics, and industry applications.
VISITOR RESEARCHERS
FORMER RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Sophia Song
Former Research Assistant
M.S. in Biology | University of Houston | Houston, Texas
B.S. Chemical Engineering | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas
Research Areas: I am working on developing lateral flow assays for applications in point-of-care diagnostics. Specifically, I am experimenting with novel reporter particles and trying to understand their interactions with biomarkers, with the goal of optimizing detection sensitivity.
ALUMNI
Kristen Brosamer
Clinical Research Associate at Meridian Bioscience Inc.
Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering | University of Houston | Houston, Texas
B.S. in Biomolecular Engineering | University of California Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, California
Research Areas: My research focuses on improving sensitivity and usability of current point-of-care diagnostic platforms through the use of novel reporter molecules
Suman Nandy
Senior Scientist at Merck
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering | University of Houston | Houston, Texas
BSc in Chemical Engineering | Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology | Dhaka, Bangladesh
Research Areas:
- Molecular Biology and Bioseparations: I am working on developing purification techniques (Affinity, IEX, SEC, etc.) for monoclonal antibodies (mAb), fusion proteins, and nucleic acids.
- Biophysical and Analytical Characterization: I am working on the characterization of proteins using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC).
Antonio Martino
Post Doctoral Fellow
Ph.D. in Material Science | University of Houston | Houston, Texas
Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering | Politecnico di Torino | Torino, Italy
Bachelor’s degree in ICT Engineering |Università degli Studi “Mediterranea” di Reggio Calabria | Calabria, Italy
Research Areas: My research is based on the development of nanoparticles aimed at smart drug delivery and targeted treatment of diseases.
Maede Chabi Bahmanshiri
Process Development Scientist at Bionova Scientific
Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering | University of Houston| Houston, Texas
B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering | Sharif University of Technology | Tehran, Iran
Research Areas: Rapid Diagnostics – Lateral Flow Assays: I am working on Lateral Flow Assays for early detection of Acute promyelocytic leukemia and SARS-CoV-2.