PEOPLE
Dr. Richard C. Willson
Huffington-Woestemeyer Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Professor of Biochemical & Biophysical Sciences
Office Location S229, Engineering Building 1
RESEARCH FACULTY
Katerina Kourentzi
Research Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Previous Degrees:
Ph.D. (Chemical Engineering), University of Houston, Houston (2002)
M.Sc. (Chemical Engineering), University of Houston, Houston (1998)
Diploma (Chemical Engineering), National Technical University, Athens, Greece (1996)
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.
Binh V. Vu
Research Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Previous Degrees: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering
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
Margarita Ortiz Martinez
PhD (Tecnologico De Monterrey)
Previous Degrees:
Ph.D. in Biotechnology at Tecnologico de Monterrey
Master of Science with a major in Pharmacy at Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico.
Bachelors degree in Biology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at 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)
Previous Degrees: Master of Technology (Bioprocess Technology), Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering)
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
Position: Ph.D. Student, (Department of Biology and Biochemistry)
Previous Degrees:
- M.Sc. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
- B.Sc. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), University of 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)
Previous Degrees:
- M.Sc. (Medical microbiology). Tribhuvan University, Nepal
- B.Sc. (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)
Previous Degrees: M. Tech. (Bioprocess Technology), B.E. (Biotechnology)
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
Previous Degrees: M. Tech. (Bioprocess Technology), B. Tech. (Biotechnology)
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
Previous Degrees: M.Sc. (Biophysics), B.Sc. (Physics)
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
Previous Degrees: BS (Biochemical/Biophysical Sciences), University of Houston
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
Previous Degrees: The University of Texas at Austin – B.S. Chemical Engineering (Class of 2019), University of Houston – M.S. in Biology (Class of 2022)
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.
Previous Degrees: Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (University of Houston), B.S. in Biomolecular Engineering (University of California Santa Cruz)
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
Previous Degrees: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering (University of Houston), BSc in Chemical Engineering (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 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
Previous Degrees: Ph.D. in Material Science (University of Houston), Bachelor’s degree in ICT Engineering, Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering
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
Previous Degrees: Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering – University of Houston, Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Chemical Engineering – Sharif University of Technology
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.