stanford university bioengineering phd

PhD Students

Nayla Abney

Eliel Akinbami

Bella Archibald

Beatriz Atsavapranee

Manish Ayushman

Kaisha Nekesa Benjamin

Veronica Augustina Bot

Aidan Cabral

Xiangmeng (Shawn) Cai

Nicholas Cecchi

Chew M Chai

Gustavo Ramon Chau Loo Kung

Christian Choe

Mihyun choi, rastko ciric.

Tyler Edward Cork

Sydney Covitz

Ravalika Damerla

Vandon Duong

Bianca Edozie

Trishia El Chemaly

Nora enright.

Hannah Field

Andrea Flores Perez

Hajime Fujita

Mary Kate Gale

Madison George

Jesse Daniel Gibson

Isabel Goldaracena Aguirre

Ananya Goyal

Laura Guerrero

Richard hall.

Ariel Hannum

Ph.D. Program

The training for a Ph.D. in Biology is focused on helping students achieve their goals of being a successful research scientist and teacher, at the highest level. Students work closely with an established advisor and meet regularly with a committee of faculty members to facilitate their progress. The Biology Ph.D. program is part of the larger Biosciences community at Stanford, which includes doctorate programs in the basic science departments at Stanford Medical School. 

There are two tracks within the Biology Ph.D. program:

• Cell, Molecular and Organismal Biology
• Ecology and Evolution

(Previously a part of the Department of Biology Hopkins Marine Station is now a part of the Oceans Department within  Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability )

All  tracks are focused on excellence in research and teaching in their respective areas; where there are differences between the tracks, they are indicated in the links below. 

Requirements & Forms

Dissertation defense, cellular and molecular biology training program, stanford biology ph.d. preview program, career development resources.

• Office of Graduate Education

Program Overview

When you join Stanford Biosciences, you join a collaborative network tackling some of the world’s toughest questions.  The Stanford Biosciences  Home Programs  comprise nine departments and five interdisciplinary programs, which span the School of Medicine and the School of Humanities and Sciences.  These Home Programs are the foundation of our collaborative culture, offering students the opportunity to tailor their graduate education  by working within an entire network of faculty, labs, and approaches to pursue their research.

Each student is admitted to a particular Home Program and initiates training with a core group of faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows who share scientific interests. Many Home Programs host annual retreats—facilitating the exchange of ideas between Stanford colleagues and fostering team-building—as well as seminar series that invite outside speakers.

In addition to that intimate setting, all Biosciences students have access to faculty in every Home Program for laboratory rotations and potential thesis work.  One of Stanford Biosciences’ biggest strengths is the physical proximity of programs and labs , encouraging face-to-face collaboration and feeding an environment of interdisciplinary innovation. Indeed, the Biosciences PhD Programs combine the supportive atmosphere of a small program with the many opportunities afforded by a large umbrella program—the best of both worlds.

A closer look

The 14 Home Programs in Stanford Biosciences’ collaborative network:

Biochemistry

Department website | Find Faculty

Biomedical Data Science

Cancer Biology

Chemical and Systems Biology

Developmental Biology

Microbiology and Immunology

Molecular and Cellular Physiology

Neurosciences

Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

Structural Biology

Related programs

Bioengineering.

Program website | Find Faculty

Biomedical Physics

Health Policy

Epidemiology and Clinical Research

Dual-Degree Programs

Providing a select group of medical students with an opportunity to pursue a training program designed to equip them for careers in academic investigative medicine.

Program website

Biomechanical Engineering Degree Programs

Main navigation, bachelor’s degree (bs:bme).

The Biomechanical Engineering major provides a fundamental understanding of mechanics in fields of biology and medicine. This major is well suited for those interested in future graduate studies in bioengineering, medicine or related areas. The course of study allows students to satisfy many premedical, pre-dental, or pre-paramedical fields.

Master’s Degree (MSME or MSBioE or MSE:BME)

Students interested in graduate studies in biomechanical engineering can choose one of the programs below, both of which are 45-unit courses of study.

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)

Students who apply and are admitted to the MS in the Mechanical Engineering Department can elect to take biomechanical engineering courses as part of their requirements. These courses are usually applied towards the student’s engineering breadth or technical electives.

Master of Science in Bioengineering (MSBioE)

Students who apply and are admitted to the MS in the Bioengineering Department can elect to take biomechanical engineering courses as part of their requirements. These courses are usually applied toward the student's engineering breadth or technical electives

Master of Science in Engineering: Biomechanical Engineering (MSE:BME)

The MSE:BME program has a math and engineering depth requirement similar to the MSME degree. However, this program allows students more flexibility in taking courses in the life sciences and generally emphasizes a more interdisciplinary curriculum. The admission requirements for this degree are the same as for the MSME degree with the exception that students are also expected to have introductory undergraduate biology. If admitted to this degree program, those lacking a biology background will be required to make up the deficiency.

For information on applying to either MS program, please see the Mechanical Engineering Department or the Bioengineering Department .

Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD)

Students in biomechanical engineering receive their doctorate in Mechanical Engineering or Bioengineering that includes the physical and biological sciences. The PhD qualifying examinations are flexible enough to accommodate students with any master's degree preparation. Students can also apply with master’s degrees from other universities.

Combined PhD/MD Degree

Students interested in a career oriented toward biomechanical research and clinical medicine can pursue the combined PhD/MD degree program.

The PhD degree is administered by the Department of Mechanical Engineering or the Department of Bioengineering. To be formally admitted as a PhD degree candidate in this combined degree program, the student must apply through normal departmental channels and must have earned an MS in Mechanical Engineering, an MS in Biomechanical Engineering, an MS in Bioengineering or a comparable master's degree. Students must pass the departmental qualifying examination and pursue a doctoral thesis in a biomechanical engineering area.

The MD degree is administered by the School of Medicine.  Students must apply separately through regular channels for admission to the MD program. For further information on the MD program, consult the School of Medicine bulletin .

Further Information

For more information on the degree programs, please see the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook , ME Graduate Handbook (SUNetID required) , the BioE Graduate Student Handbook and the Stanford Bulletin .

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2023 Stanford Bio-X PhD Fellows.

May 30, 2023

Stanford Bio-X is delighted to announce the 2023 Stanford Bio-X PhD Fellows . This year's  21  exemplary awardees represent 14 different departments and programs, and they will collaborate with 36 Stanford faculty mentors to bridge disciplines and undertake groundbreaking innovative research as a part of the Stanford Bio-X community. With the addition of our 2023 cohort, the Stanford Bio-X PhD Fellowship Program has now awarded a total of 385  meritorious Stanford students, supporting their unique and transformative interdisciplinary research projects.

Since its inception in 2004, the Stanford Bio-X Fellowship Program has supported Stanford PhD students pursuing cutting-edge interdisciplinary research under multiple faculty mentors, offering them the freedom to maximize the impact and expand the scope of their work. These remarkable young researchers receive full support (stipend and tuition) from Bio-X for three years of their graduate studies, allowing them to approach exciting research questions as they create connections within the Bio-X community and across campus.

To date,  282 Stanford Bio-X Fellows have graduated from Stanford , with alumni of the program establishing successful careers in the industry sector, founding start-up companies, holding professorships at Stanford and its peer institutions, and much more. Many of our alumni who have become Stanford faculty have now mentored Bio-X PhD Fellows in their own labs!

We are honored to welcome the 2023 Fellows to the Bio-X community, and look forward to supporting them as they pursue their passions and expand their research careers. To learn more about the program, meet the previous cohorts, and read about the successes of our Fellows, please visit the Stanford Bio-X Fellows website .

Bio-X is grateful to our donors, including the Bowes Foundation, for their continued generous support of the program. 

Check out the Stanford Bio-X PhD Fellowship Program Brochure!

The 2023 Stanford Bio-X Fellows Cohort in alphabetical order:

Carlos   Aldrete (Chemical Engineering) Advised by: Profs. Xiaojing Gao and Ngan Huang

Meelad   Amouzgar (Immunology) Advised by: Profs. Sean Bendall and Robert Tibshirani

Nahal   Bagheri (Electrical Engineering) Advised by: Profs. Steven Boxer and Possu Huang

Crystal Chen (Chemical Engineering) Advised by: Profs. Stanley Qi and Katherine Ferrara

Benjamin   Doughty (Genetics) Advised by: Profs. William Greenleaf and Jesse Engreitz

Mark   Fleck (Chemistry) Advised by: Profs. Fan Yang and Michael Lim

Kexin   Huang (Computer Science) Advised by: Profs. Jure Leskovec and Anshul Kundaje

Karan   Kathuria (Immunology, Medicine) Advised by: Profs. Mark Davis and Prasanna Jagannathan

Rennie   Kendrick (Neurosciences) Advised by: Profs. Scott Owen and Scott Linderman

Danielle   Klinger (Bioengineering) Advised by: Profs. Kristy Red-Horse and Mark Skylar-Scott

Daniel   Liu (Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, Medicine) Advised by: Profs. Irving Weissman and Laura Prolo

Pradnya   Narkhede (Chemistry) Advised by: Profs. Or Gozani and James Chen

Babatunde   Ogunlade (Materials Science & Engineering) Advised by: Profs. Jennifer Dionne and Amanda Kirane

Jennifer   Parker (Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine) Advised by: Profs. Michael Longaker and Eric Appel

Divya   Rajasekharan (Mechanical Engineering) Advised by: Profs. Leanne Williams and Ellen Kuhl

Julia   Schaepe (Bioengineering) Advised by: Profs. William Greenleaf and Lacramioara Bintu

Jun Ho   Song (Biology) Advised by: Profs. Liqun Luo and Scott Linderman

Michelle   Tai (Bioengineering) Advised by: Profs. Fan Yang and Christina Curtis

Abby   Thurm (Biophysics, Medicine) Advised by: Profs. Lacramioara Bintu and Daniel Herschlag

Austin   Wang (Computer Science) Advised by: Profs. Anshul Kundaje and Kristy Red-Horse

Theodore   Yang (Chemical Engineering) Advised by: Profs. Daniel Jarosz and Jian Qin

Meet Some of Our Previous Fellows!

Jorge Meraz

Paola Moreno-Roman

Gabriella Muwanga

Anna Shcherbina

Victor Tieu

Pranav Vyas

Javier Weddington

Andrew Weitz

Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and, by courtesy, Developmental Biology

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• Research & Scholarship
• Publications

We are a discovery-driven research group working at the interface between developmental biology, bioengineering, and statistical physics. We combine quantitative organism-wide fluorescence imaging, functional genomics, and physical modeling to understand the fundamental rules that control collective cell behaviors to optimize tissue regeneration, adaptation, and evolution.

Academic Appointments

• Assistant Professor, Bioengineering
• Assistant Professor (By courtesy), Developmental Biology
• Member, Bio-X
• Member, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute

Honors & Awards

• SN10: Scientists to Watch, Science News (2020)
• Young Investigator Award, Human Frontier Science Program (2019)
• Beckman Young Investigator Award, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation (2017)
• Hellman Faculty Scholar Award, Hellman Fellows Fund (2017)
• Baxter Faculty Scholar Award, Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation (2016)
• Career Award at the Scientific Interface, Burroughs Wellcome Fund (2013)
• Victor K. LaMer Award, American Chemical Society (2012)
• Frank J. Padden, Jr. Award, American Physical Society (2010)

Professional Education

• Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Materials Science (2011)
• M.S., B.S., Zhejiang University, Materials Science (2006)
• Academic [email protected] University - Faculty Department: Bioengineering Position: Asst Professor

Additional Info

• Mail Code: 4245
• https://wanglabd9.sites.stanford.edu/

Current Research and Scholarly Interests

Research interests: (1) Systems biology of whole-body regeneration (2) Cell type evolution through the lens of single-cell multiomic sequencing analysis (3) Quantitative biology of brain regeneration (4) Regeneration of animal-algal photosymbiotic systems

2023-24 Courses

• Bioengineering Department Colloquium BIOE 293 (Spr)
• Fundamentals of Regeneration Biology BIOE 219, DBIO 219 (Win)
• Bioengineering Problems and Experimental Investigation BIOE 191 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum)
• Directed Investigation BIOE 392 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum)
• Directed Reading in Biophysics BIOPHYS 399 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum)
• Directed Studies in Applied Physics APPPHYS 290 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum)
• Directed Study BIOE 391 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum)
• Graduate Research BIOPHYS 300 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum)
• Out-of-Department Graduate Research BIO 300X (Aut, Spr, Sum)

2022-23 Courses

• Comparative Single-cell Genomics in the Ocean BIO 269, BIOE 269 (Sum)

2021-22 Courses

• Fundamentals for Engineering Biology Lab BIOE 44 (Aut, Win)

2020-21 Courses

Stanford advisees.

• Doctoral Dissertation Reader (AC) Hannah Fung , James Hemker , Lauren Lubeck , Hannah Rosenblatt , Jiawei Sun , Miriam Sun , Macy Vollbrecht , Pranav Vyas
• Postdoctoral Faculty Sponsor Pengyang Li , Souradeep Sarkar
• Doctoral Dissertation Advisor (AC) Chew Chai , Jesse Gibson , Prateek Kalakuntla, Eun Sun Song , Sidney Vermeulen, Livia Wyss
• Master's Program Advisor Xuetong Zhou
• Undergraduate Major Advisor Zofia Dudek
• Doctoral (Program) Chew Chai , Ray Chang , Yilin Chen, Isabel Goldaracena Aguirre , Esther Mozipo, Misha Raffiee , Soham Sinha , Pranav Vyas , Yixin Wang , Livia Wyss , Helen Yue Zhang

Graduate and Fellowship Programs

• Bioengineering (Phd Program)
• Biophysics (Phd Program)
• Developmental Biology (Phd Program)

All Publications

Comparing single-cell transcriptomic atlases from diverse organisms can elucidate the origins of cellular diversity and assist the annotation of new cell atlases. Yet, comparison between distant relatives is hindered by complex gene histories and diversifications in expression programs. Previously, we introduced the self-assembling manifold (SAM) algorithm to robustly reconstruct manifolds from single-cell data (Tarashansky et al., 2019). Here, we build on SAM to map cell atlas manifolds across species. This new method, SAMap, identifies homologous cell types with shared expression programs across distant species within phyla, even in complex examples where homologous tissues emerge from distinct germ layers. SAMap also finds many genes with more similar expression to their paralogs than their orthologs, suggesting paralog substitution may be more common in evolution than previously appreciated. Lastly, comparing species across animal phyla, spanning mouse to sponge, reveals ancient contractile and stem cell families, which may have arisen early in animal evolution.

View details for DOI 10.7554/eLife.66747

View details for PubMedID 33944782

Schistosomes cause one of the most devastating neglected tropical diseases, schistosomiasis. Their transmission is accomplished through a complex life cycle with two obligate hosts and requires multiple radically different body plans specialized for infecting and reproducing in each host. Recent single-cell transcriptomic studies on several schistosome body plans provide a comprehensive map of their cell types, which include stem cells and their differentiated progeny along an intricate developmental hierarchy. This progress not only extends our understanding of the basic biology of the schistosome life cycle but can also inform new therapeutic and preventive strategies against the disease, as blocking the development of specific cell types through genetic manipulations has shown promise in inhibiting parasite survival, growth, and reproduction.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.pt.2021.03.005

View details for PubMedID 33893056

Schistosomes are parasitic flatworms causing one of the most prevalent infectious diseases from which millions of people are currently suffering. These parasites have high fecundity and their eggs are both the transmissible agents and the cause of the infection-associated pathology. Given its biomedical significance, the schistosome germline has been a research focus for more than a century. Nonetheless, molecular mechanisms that regulate its development are only now being understood. In particular, it is unknown what balances the fate of germline stem cells (GSCs) in producing daughter stem cells through mitotic divisions versus gametes through meiosis. Here, we perform single-cell RNA sequencing on juvenile schistosomes and capture GSCs during de novo gonadal development. We identify a genetic program that controls the proliferation and differentiation of GSCs. This program centers around onecut, a homeobox transcription factor, and boule, an mRNA binding protein. Their expressions are mutually dependent in the schistosome male germline, and knocking down either of them causes over-proliferation of GSCs and blocks germ cell differentiation. We further show that this germline-specific regulatory program is conserved in the planarian, schistosome's free-living evolutionary cousin, but the function of onecut has changed during evolution to support GSC maintenance.

View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-20794-w

View details for PubMedID 33473133

View details for DOI 10.1038/s41567-020-0809-9

Imaging dense and diverse microbial communities has broad applications in basic microbiology and medicine, but remains a grand challenge due to the fact that many species adopt similar morphologies. While prior studies have relied on techniques involving spectral labeling, we have developed an expansion microscopy method (muExM) in which bacterial cells are physically expanded prior to imaging. We find that expansion patterns depend on the structural and mechanical properties of the cell wall, which vary across species and conditions. We use this phenomenon as a quantitative and sensitive phenotypic imaging contrast orthogonal to spectral separation to resolve bacterial cells of different species or in distinct physiological states. Focusing on host-microbe interactions that are difficult to quantify through fluorescence alone, we demonstrate the ability of muExM to distinguish species through an in vitro defined community of human gut commensals and in vivo imaging of a model gut microbiota, and to sensitively detect cell-envelope damage caused by antibiotics or previously unrecognized cell-to-cell phenotypic heterogeneity among pathogenic bacteria as they infect macrophages.

View details for DOI 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000268

View details for PubMedID 31622337

View details for DOI 10.7554/eLife.48994

View details for DOI 10.7554/eLife.35449

View details for Web of Science ID 000438149300001

In contrast to Brownian transport, the active motility of microbes, cells, animals and even humans often follows another random process known as truncated Lévy walk. These stochastic motions are characterized by clustered small steps and intermittent longer jumps that often extend towards the size of the entire system. As there are repeated suggestions, although disagreement, that Lévy walks have functional advantages over Brownian motion in random searching and transport kinetics, their intentional engineering into active materials could be useful. Here, we show experimentally in the classic active matter system of intracellular trafficking that Brownian-like steps self-organize into truncated Lévy walks through an apparent time-independent positive feedback such that directional persistence increases with the distance travelled persistently. A molecular model that allows the maximum output of the active propelling forces to fluctuate slowly fits the experiments quantitatively. Our findings offer design principles for programming efficient transport in active materials.

View details for DOI 10.1038/NMAT4239

View details for Web of Science ID 000354801500021

View details for PubMedID 25822692

Schistosomes infect hundreds of millions of people in the developing world. Transmission of these parasites relies on a stem cell-driven, clonal expansion of larvae inside a molluscan intermediate host. How this novel asexual reproductive strategy relates to current models of stem cell maintenance and germline specification is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that this proliferative larval cell population (germinal cells) shares some molecular signatures with stem cells from diverse organisms, in particular neoblasts of planarians (free-living relatives of schistosomes). We identify two distinct germinal cell lineages that differ in their proliferation kinetics and expression of a nanos ortholog. We show that a vasa/PL10 homolog is required for proliferation and maintenance of both populations, whereas argonaute2 and a fibroblast growth factor receptor-encoding gene are required only for nanos-negative cells. Our results suggest that an ancient stem cell-based developmental program may have enabled the evolution of the complex life cycle of parasitic flatworms. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00768.001.

View details for DOI 10.7554/eLife.00768

View details for Web of Science ID 000328622300001

View details for PubMedID 23908765

Schistosomiasis is among the most prevalent human parasitic diseases, affecting more than 200 million people worldwide. The aetiological agents of this disease are trematode flatworms (Schistosoma) that live and lay eggs within the vasculature of the host. These eggs lodge in host tissues, causing inflammatory responses that are the primary cause of morbidity. Because these parasites can live and reproduce within human hosts for decades, elucidating the mechanisms that promote their longevity is of fundamental importance. Although adult pluripotent stem cells, called neoblasts, drive long-term homeostatic tissue maintenance in long-lived free-living flatworms (for example, planarians), and neoblast-like cells have been described in some parasitic tapeworms, little is known about whether similar cell types exist in any trematode species. Here we describe a population of neoblast-like cells in the trematode Schistosoma mansoni. These cells resemble planarian neoblasts morphologically and share their ability to proliferate and differentiate into derivatives of multiple germ layers. Capitalizing on available genomic resources and RNA-seq-based gene expression profiling, we find that these schistosome neoblast-like cells express a fibroblast growth factor receptor orthologue. Using RNA interference we demonstrate that this gene is required for the maintenance of these neoblast-like cells. Our observations indicate that adaptation of developmental strategies shared by free-living ancestors to modern-day schistosomes probably contributed to the success of these animals as long-lived obligate parasites. We expect that future studies deciphering the function of these neoblast-like cells will have important implications for understanding the biology of these devastating parasites.

View details for DOI 10.1038/nature11924

View details for Web of Science ID 000315661500038

View details for PubMedID 23426263

View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3586782

View details for DOI 10.1038/nmat3308

View details for Web of Science ID 000304320300003

View details for PubMedID 22614505

We describe experiments using single-particle tracking in which mean-square displacement is simply proportional to time (Fickian), yet the distribution of displacement probability is not Gaussian as should be expected of a classical random walk but, instead, is decidedly exponential for large displacements, the decay length of the exponential being proportional to the square root of time. The first example is when colloidal beads diffuse along linear phospholipid bilayer tubes whose radius is the same as that of the beads. The second is when beads diffuse through entangled F-actin networks, bead radius being less than one-fifth of the actin network mesh size. We explore the relevance to dynamic heterogeneity in trajectory space, which has been extensively discussed regarding glassy systems. Data for the second system might suggest activated diffusion between pores in the entangled F-actin networks, in the same spirit as activated diffusion and exponential tails observed in glassy systems. But the first system shows exceptionally rapid diffusion, nearly as rapid as for identical colloids in free suspension, yet still displaying an exponential probability distribution as in the second system. Thus, although the exponential tail is reminiscent of glassy systems, in fact, these dynamics are exceptionally rapid. We also compare with particle trajectories that are at first subdiffusive but Fickian at the longest measurement times, finding that displacement probability distributions fall onto the same master curve in both regimes. The need is emphasized for experiments, theory, and computer simulation to allow definitive interpretation of this simple and clean exponential probability distribution.

View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0903554106

View details for Web of Science ID 000269632400015

View details for PubMedID 19666495

The nonspecific adsorption of charged nanoparticles onto single-component phospholipid bilayers bearing phosphocholine headgroups is shown, from fluorescence and calorimetry experiments, to cause surface reconstruction at the points where nanoparticles adsorb. Nanoparticles of negative charge induce local gelation in otherwise fluid bilayers; nanoparticles of positive charge induce otherwise gelled membranes to fluidize locally. Through this mechanism, the phase state deviates from the nominal phase transition temperature by tens of degrees. This work generalizes the notions of environmentally induced surface reconstruction, prominent in metals and semiconductors. Bearing in mind that chemical composition in these single-component lipid bilayers is the same everywhere, this offers a mechanism to generate patchy functional properties in phospholipid membranes.

View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0807296105

View details for Web of Science ID 000261489300026

View details for PubMedID 19011086

Recent advances in single-cell sequencing provide a unique opportunity to gain novel insights into the diversity, lineage, and functions of cell types constituting a tissue/organ. Here, we performed a single-nucleus study of the adult Drosophila renal system, consisting of Malpighian tubules and nephrocytes, which shares similarities with the mammalian kidney. We identified 11 distinct clusters representing renal stem cells, stellate cells, regionally specific principal cells, garland nephrocyte cells, and pericardial nephrocytes. Characterization of the transcription factors specific to each cluster identified fruitless (fru) as playing a role in stem cell regeneration and Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (Hnf4) in regulating glycogen and triglyceride metabolism. In addition, we identified a number of genes, including Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor at 64C (RhoGEF64c), Frequenin 2 (Frq2), Prip, and CG1093 that are involved in regulating the unusual star shape of stellate cells. Importantly, the single-nucleus datasetallows visualization of the expression at the organ level of genes involved in ion transport and junctional permeability, providing a systems-level view of the organization and physiological roles of the tubules. Finally, a cross-species analysis allowed us to match the fly kidney cell types to mouse kidney cell types and planarian protonephridia, knowledge that will help the generation of kidney disease models. Altogether, our study provides a comprehensive resource for studying the fly kidney.

View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.2203179119

View details for PubMedID 35696569

BACKGROUND: There are a wide range of developmental strategies in animal phyla, but most insights into adult body plan formation come from direct-developing species. For indirect-developing species, there are distinct larval and adult body plans that are linked together by metamorphosis. Some outstanding questions in the development of indirect-developing organisms include the extent to which larval tissue undergoes cell death during the process of metamorphosis and when and where the tissue that will give rise to the adult originates. How do the processes of cell division and cell death redesign the body plans of indirect developers? In this study, we present patterns of cell proliferation and cell death during larval body plan development, metamorphosis, and adult body plan formation, in the hemichordate Schizocardium californium (Cameron and Perez in Zootaxa 3569:79-88, 2012) to answer these questions.RESULTS: We identified distinct patterns of cell proliferation between larval and adult body plan formation of S. californicum. We found that some adult tissues proliferate during the late larval phase prior to the start of overt metamorphosis. In addition, using an irradiation and transcriptomic approach, we describe a genetic signature of proliferative cells that is shared across the life history states, as well as markers that are unique to larval or juvenile states. Finally, we observed that cell death is minimal in larval stages but begins with the onset of metamorphosis.CONCLUSIONS: Cell proliferation during the development of S. californicum has distinct patterns in the formation of larval and adult body plans. However, cell death is very limited in larvae and begins during the onset of metamorphosis and into early juvenile development in specific domains. The populations of cells that proliferated and gave rise to the larvae and juveniles have a genetic signature that suggested a heterogeneous pool of proliferative progenitors, rather than a set-aside population of pluripotent cells. Taken together, we propose that the gradual morphologicaltransformation of S. californicum is mirrored at the cellular level and may be more representative of the development strategies that characterize metamorphosis in many metazoan animals.

View details for DOI 10.1186/s13227-022-00198-1

View details for PubMedID 35668535

Single cell biology has the potential to elucidate many critical biological processes and diseases, from development and regeneration to cancer. Single cell analyses are uncovering the molecular diversity of cells, revealing a clearer picture of the variation among and between different cell types. New techniques are beginning to unravel how differences in cell state-transcriptional, epigenetic, and other characteristics-can lead to different cell fates among genetically identical cells, which underlies complex processes such as embryonic development, drug resistance, response to injury, and cellular reprogramming. Single cell technologies also pose significant challenges relating to processing and analyzing vast amounts of data collected. To realize the potential of single cell technologies, new computational approaches are needed. On March 17-19, 2021, experts in single cell biology met virtually for the Keystone eSymposium "Single Cell Biology" to discuss advances both in single cell applications and technologies.

View details for DOI 10.1111/nyas.14692

View details for PubMedID 34605044

[Figure: see text].

View details for DOI 10.1126/science.abj2949

View details for PubMedID 34735222

This chapter describes two mechanical expansion microscopy methods with accompanying step-by-step protocols. The first method, mechanically resolved expansion microscopy, uses non-uniform expansion of partially digested samples to provide the imaging contrast that resolves local mechanical properties. Examining bacterial cell wall with this method, we are able to distinguish bacterial species in mixed populations based on their distinct cell wall rigidity and detect cell wall damage caused by various physiological and chemical perturbations. The second method is mechanically locked expansion microscopy, in which we use a mechanically stable gel network to prevent the original polyacrylate network from shrinking in ionic buffers. This method allows us to use anti-photobleaching buffers in expansion microscopy, enabling detection of novel ultra-structures under the optical diffraction limit through super-resolution single molecule localization microscopy on bacterial cells and whole-mount immunofluorescence imaging in thick animal tissues. We also discuss potential applications and assess future directions.

View details for DOI 10.1016/bs.mcb.2020.04.013

View details for PubMedID 33478686

In the past five years, droplet microfluidic techniques have unlocked new opportunities for the high-throughput genome-wide analysis of single cells, transforming our understanding of cellular diversity and function. However, the field lacks an accessible method to screen and sort droplets based on cellular phenotype upstream of genetic analysis, particularly for large and complex cells. To meet this need, we developed Dropception, a robust, easy-to-use workflow for precise single-cell encapsulation into picoliter-scale double emulsion droplets compatible with high-throughput screening via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). We demonstrate the capabilities of this method by encapsulating five standardized mammalian cell lines of varying sizes and morphologies as well as a heterogeneous cell mixture of a whole dissociated flatworm (5-25 mum in diameter) within highly monodisperse double emulsions (35 mum in diameter). We optimize for preferential encapsulation of single cells with extremely low multiple-cell loading events (<2% of cell-containing droplets), thereby allowing direct linkage of cellular phenotype to genotype. Across all cell lines, cell loading efficiency approaches the theoretical limit with no observable bias by cell size. FACS measurements reveal the ability to discriminate empty droplets from those containing cells with good agreement to single-cell occupancies quantified via microscopy, establishing robust droplet screening at single-cell resolution. High-throughput FACS screening of cellular picoreactors has the potential to shift the landscape of single-cell droplet microfluidics by expanding the repertoire of current nucleic acid droplet assays to include functional phenotyping.

View details for DOI 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c02499

View details for PubMedID 32900183

Forecasting 'Black Swan' events in ecosystems is an important but challenging task. Many ecosystems display aperiodic fluctuations in species abundance spanning orders of magnitude in scale, which have vast environmental and economic impact. Empirical evidence and theoretical analyses suggest that these dynamics are in a regime where system nonlinearities limit accurate forecasting of unprecedented events due to poor extrapolation of historical data to unsampled states. Leveraging increasingly available long-term high-frequency ecological tracking data, we analyze multiple natural and experimental ecosystems (marine plankton, intertidal mollusks, and deciduous forest), and recover hidden linearity embedded in universal 'scaling laws' of species dynamics. We then develop a method using these scaling laws to reduce data dependence in ecological forecasting and accurately predict extreme events beyond the span of historical observations in diverse ecosystems.

View details for DOI 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008021

View details for PubMedID 32598364

Parasitic infections are a major source of human suffering, mortality, and economic loss, but drug development for these diseases has been stymied by the significant expense involved in bringing a drug though clinical trials and to market. Identification of single compounds active against multiple parasitic pathogens could improve the economic incentives for drug development as well as simplifying treatment regimens. We recently performed a screen of repurposed compounds against the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica, causative agent of amebic dysentery, and identified four compounds (anisomycin, prodigiosin, obatoclax and nithiamide) with low micromolar potency and drug-like properties. Here, we extend our investigation of these drugs. We assayed the speed of killing of E. histolytica trophozoites and found that all four have more rapid action than the current drug of choice, metronidazole. We further established a multi-institute collaboration to determine whether these compounds may have efficacy against other parasites and opportunistic pathogens. We found that anisomycin, prodigiosin and obatoclax all have broad-spectrum antiparasitic activity in vitro, including activity against schistosomes, T. brucei, and apicomplexan parasites. In several cases, the drugs were found to have significant improvements over existing drugs. For instance, both obatoclax and prodigiosin were more efficacious at inhibiting the juvenile form of Schistosoma than the current standard of care, praziquantel. Additionally, low micromolar potencies were observed against pathogenic free-living amebae (Naegleria fowleri, Balamuthia mandrillaris and Acanthamoeba castellanii), which cause CNS infection and for which there are currently no reliable treatments. These results, combined with the previous human use of three of these drugs (obatoclax, anisomycin and nithiamide), support the idea that these compounds could serve as the basis for the development of broad-spectrum anti-parasitic drugs.

View details for DOI 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008150

View details for PubMedID 32196500

View details for DOI 10.1088/1478-3975/ab0946

View details for Web of Science ID 000464498800001

Line-temporal focusing has been recognized as an elegant strategy that provides two-photon microscopy with an effective means for fast imaging through parallelization, together with an improved resilience to scattering for deep imaging. However, the axial resolution remains sub-optimal, except when using high NA objectives and a small field-of-view. With the introduction of an intracavity control of the spectral width of the femtosecond laser to adaptively fill the back aperture of the objective lens, line-temporal focusing two-photon microscopy is demonstrated to reach near-diffraction-limited axial resolution with a large back-aperture objective lens, and improved immunity to sample scattering. In addition, a new incoherent flattop beam shaping method is proposed which provides a uniform contrast with little degradation of the axial resolution along the focus line, even deep in the sample. This is demonstrated in large volumetric imaging of mouse lung samples.

View details for DOI 10.1364/OL.43.004919

View details for Web of Science ID 000447265700017

View details for PubMedID 30320783

Nanomedicine approaches have the potential to transform the battle against parasitic worm (helminth) infections, a major global health scourge from which billions are currently suffering. It is anticipated that the intersection of two currently disparate fields, nanomedicine and helminth biology, will constitute a new frontier in science and technology. This progress report surveys current innovations in these research fields and discusses research opportunities. In particular, the focus is on: (1) major challenges that helminth infections impose on mankind; (2) key aspects of helminth biology that inform future research directions; (3) efforts to construct nanodelivery platforms to target drugs and genes to helminths hidden in their hosts; (4) attempts in applying nanotechnology to enable vaccination against helminth infections; (5) outlooks in utilizing nanoparticles to enhance immunomodulatory activities of worm-derived factors to cure allergy and autoimmune diseases. In each section, achievements are summarized, limitations are explored, and future directions are assessed.

View details for PubMedID 29602254

An unmet challenge in the study of disease is to accurately streamline the identification of important virulence factors. Traditional, genetically driven approaches miss biologically relevant markers due to discordance between the genome and proteome. Here, we developed a nanotechnology-enabled affinity enrichment strategy coupled with multiplexed quantitative proteomics, namely Biomimetic Virulomics, for successful identification of cell-type specific effector proteins of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens. We highlight the power of Biomimetic Virulomics by capturing known virulence factors in a high-throughput, cell-type guided fashion. Additionally, a comprehensive characterization of the membrane protein component of biomimetics utilized in this strategy is provided. Interfacing cell-derived nanomaterials with multiplexed quantitative proteomics allow for a specific targeting strategy of virulence factors that can be utilized for drug discovery against prominent human diseases.

View details for PubMedID 28892626

We scrutinize three decades of probability density displacement distribution in a simple colloidal suspension with hard-sphere interactions. In this index-matched and density-matched solvent, fluorescent tracer nanoparticles diffuse among matrix particles that are eight times larger, at concentrations from dilute to concentrated, over times up to when the tracer diffuses a few times its size. Displacement distributions of tracers, Gaussian in pure solvent, broaden systematically with increasing obstacle density. The onset of non-Gaussian dynamics is seen in even modestly dilute suspensions, which traditionally would be assumed to follow classic Gaussian expectation. The findings underscore, in agreement with recent studies of more esoteric soft matter systems, the prevalence of non-Gaussian yet Fickian diffusion.

View details for DOI 10.1021/nn405476t

View details for Web of Science ID 000334990600023

View details for PubMedID 24646449

We show, using a large new data set, that the temporally resolved speed of active cargo transport in living cells follows a scaling law over several decades of time and length. The statistical regularities display a time-averaged shape that we interpret to reflect stress buildup, followed by rapid release. The scaling power law agrees quantitatively with those reported in inanimate systems (jammed colloids and granular media, and magnetic Barkhausen noise), suggesting a common origin in pushing through a crowded environment in a weak force regime. The implied regulation of the speed of active cellular transport due to environmental obstruction results in bursts of speed and acceleration. These findings extend the classical notion of molecular crowding.

View details for DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.208102

View details for Web of Science ID 000327243600026

View details for PubMedID 24289710

We describe a simple automated method to extract and quantify transient heterogeneous dynamical changes from large data sets generated in single-molecule/particle tracking experiments. Based on wavelet transform, the method transforms raw data to locally match dynamics of interest. This is accomplished using statistically adaptive universal thresholding, whose advantage is to avoid a single arbitrary threshold that might conceal individual variability across populations. How to implement this multiscale method is described, focusing on local confined diffusion separated by transient transport periods or hopping events, with three specific examples: in cell biology, biotechnology, and glassy colloid dynamics. The discussion is generalized within the framework of continuous time random walk. This computationally efficient method can run routinely on hundreds of millions of data points analyzed within an hour on a desktop personal computer.

View details for DOI 10.1021/nn402787a

View details for Web of Science ID 000326209100033

View details for PubMedID 23971739

For study of time-dependent conformation, all previous single-molecule imaging studies of polymer transport involve fluorescence labeling uniformly along the chain, which suffers from limited resolution due to the diffraction limit. Here we demonstrate the concept of submolecular single-molecule imaging with DNA chains assembled from DNA fragments such that a chain is labeled at designated spots with covalently attached fluorescent dyes and the chain backbone with dyes of different color. High density of dyes ensures good signal-to-noise ratio to localize the designated spots in real time with nanometer precision and prevents significant photobleaching for long-time tracking purposes. To demonstrate usefulness of this approach, we image electrophoretic transport of λ-DNA through agarose gels. The unexpected pattern is observed that one end of each molecule tends to stretch out in the electric field while the other end remains quiescent for some time before it snaps forward and the stretch-recoil cycle repeats. These features are neither predicted by prevailing theories of electrophoresis mechanism nor detectable by conventional whole-chain labeling methods, which demonstrate pragmatically the usefulness of modular stitching to reveal internal chain dynamics of single molecules.

View details for DOI 10.1021/ja4020138

View details for Web of Science ID 000318204800019

View details for PubMedID 23570269

We describe a straightforward, automated line tracking method to visualize linear macromolecules as they rearrange shape by brownian diffusion and under external fields such as electrophoresis. The analysis, implemented here with 30 ms time resolution, identifies contour lines from one end of the molecule to the other without attention to structure smaller than the optical resolution. There are three sequential stages of analysis: first, "feature finding" to discriminate signal from noise; second, "line tracking" to approximate those shapes as lines; and third, "temporal consistency check" to discriminate reasonable from unreasonable fitted conformations in the time domain. Automation makes it straightforward to accumulate vast quantities of data while excluding the unreliable parts of it. We implement this analysis on fluorescence images of λ-DNA molecules in agarose gel to demonstrate its capability to produce large data sets for subsequent statistical analysis.

View details for DOI 10.1021/la200433r

View details for Web of Science ID 000290292900050

View details for PubMedID 21510676

View details for DOI 10.1002/polb.22133

View details for Web of Science ID 000284228300003

Using single-molecule fluorescence imaging, we track Brownian motion perpendicular to the contour of tightly entangled F-actin filaments and extract the confining potential. The chain localization presents a small-displacement Hookean regime followed by a large amplitude regime where the effective restoring force is independent of displacement. The implied heterogeneity characterized by a distribution of tube width is modeled.

View details for DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.118301

View details for Web of Science ID 000275802600045

View details for PubMedID 20366503

Polyelectrolyte multilayers of poly(L-glutamic acid) (PGA) and poly(L-lysine) (PLL) were built up using the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique in low pH (3.6, PM3.6) and in neutral pH (7.4, PM7.4) solutions. The multilayers were then treated with a concentrated urea (one kind of denaturant for proteins and polypeptides) solution (8M) and rinsed with corresponding buffer. The buildup and treatment processes were investigated by ultraviolet visible spectroscopy and ellipsometry. The surface morphology was observed by scanning force microscopy (SFM). The inner structures were determined by X-ray reflectometry and circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD). An exponential growth of the optical mass and the layer thickness was observed for both PM3.6 and PM7.4. After urea treatment, a significant mass loss for PM3.6 was found, while no mass change was recorded for PM7.4. The dominant driving force for PM7.4 is electrostatic interaction, resulting in multilayers with an abundant beta-sheet structure, which has higher stability against urea treatment. By contrast, the dominant driving force for PM3.6 is hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction, which are sensitive to the urea treatment. The mechanism is substantiated by molecular mechanics calculation. This has offered a convenient pathway to mediate the multilayer properties, which is of great importance for potential applications.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2007.10.017

View details for Web of Science ID 000254606900012

View details for PubMedID 18068958

The interaction between mesoscopic colloids and cells is largely dependent on the particle size and surface properties. Under a mild reaction condition, gold particles with an average diameter of approximately 100 nm were prepared by incubating poly(dimethylsiloxane) film in HAuCl4/acetic acid solution. The particles were then transferred into a polycaprolactone (PCL) film by thermal pressing. Bare and PCL-coated particles were obtained by control over the extent of rinsing. The bare and PCL-coated gold particles were co-cultured with ECV-304 cells to examine the particle internalization and their influence on the cell morphology and cytotoxicity. Transmission electron microcopy observed the subcellular distribution of the gold particles, which were found in the cell compartments (endosomes or lysosomes), cytoplasm, nucleic envelope, and even nucleus regardless of the existence of PCL coating. However, scanning electron microscopy and beta-tubulin staining revealed a significant change in terms of the cell morphology and cytoskeleton caused by the bare gold particles. Higher cytotoxicity was also determined for the bare gold particles. By contrast, no significant difference of the cell morphology and cytoskeleton change was caused by the PCL-coated gold particles, which have also shown lower cytotoxicity.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.nano.2007.04.001

View details for Web of Science ID 000249325500006

View details for PubMedID 17706466

In the present work, we succeeded in alternatively depositing inorganic nanoparticles and functionalized DNA bases onto the water/oil interface from the water and oil bulk phases. The ligands used were functional thymines and adenines. Their thiol and phosphate groups were used to cap inorganic nanoparticles and their thymine and adenine groups to alter the surface functionality of the nanoparticles, thus enabling a layer-by-layer growth fashion of nanoparticles at the interface. The multiple particle ligation rendered the resulting nanoparticle films rather mechanically robust. As results, the freestanding asymmetric bilayer and trilayer films, composed of negatively-charged Au, positively-charged CdTe, and/or organic Ag nanoparticles were constructed; their areas were as large as over several centimetres, depending on the sizes of the containers used. Our work should bring up a novel methodology to generate asymmetric multilayer films of nanoparticles with a defined control of electron or charge across the films.

View details for Web of Science ID 000251441100004

View details for PubMedID 18060160

Synthesis of gold nanoparticles on surfaces has been accomplished by the incubation of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) films in tetrachloroauric(III) acid and chitosan solution at room temperature and 4 degrees C. One important point in the present study is that the synthesis selectively occurred on the PDMS surface. These observations are substantially different from the reaction in solution, in which no particles can be formed at room temperature. Computation of surface plasmon bands (SPBs) based on Mie theory suggests that the particles are partially coated by chitosan molecules, and the experimental results confirm the theoretical calculations. The proposed mechanism is that chitosan molecules adsorbed or printed on the PDMS surfaces act as reducing/stabilizing agents. Furthermore, PDMS films patterned with chitosan could induce localized synthesis of gold nanoparticles in regions capped with chitosan only. In this way, colloidal patterns were fabricated on the surfaces with high spatial selectivity simultaneously with the synthesis of the particles. Surface-induced fluorescence quenching was observed in the regions capped with gold nanoparticles as well.

View details for DOI 10.1021/bm060030f

View details for Web of Science ID 000236868800027

View details for PubMedID 16602739

View details for DOI 10.1002/anie.200502822

View details for Web of Science ID 000235752600009

View details for PubMedID 16440395

View details for DOI 10.1021/ma048930g

View details for Web of Science ID 000225371200008

View details for DOI 10.1002/adma.200400573

View details for Web of Science ID 000225848000017

2024 Cohort

Main navigation, meet the 2024 cohort.

The scholars in the 2024 cohort come from 30 countries, including the first scholars with citizenship from Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Bulgaria, France, and Sri Lanka. They have earned degrees from 60 institutions, including 12 outside of the United States. At Stanford, they will pursue graduate degrees in 45 degree programs across all seven schools. For more about the cohort, view the 2024 cohort announcement .

All content reflects scholar interests at the time of selection into the cohort. 

2024 cohort highlights

Nathan Abraham

Ank Agarwal

David Akanmu

Luke Anderson

Daviana Berkowitz-Sklar

Tilly Brooks

Jasper Burns

Maryanne Chege

Tyler Colenbrander

Vittorio Colicci

Danny Collins

Andrew Couch

Chris Dylewski

Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca

Charlotte Falletta

Amelia Faraco-Hadlock

Ryunosuke (Ryan) Goto

William Heap

Erez Hochdorf

Carina Hong

Haolie Jiang

Andrea Jimenez Flores

Kylie Jones

Hadi Juratli

Yana Kalmyka

Venny Kojouharov

Wasan Kumar

Victoria Kyveryga

Gabriel Lee

Marina Luccioni

Khushi Malde

Bryce Marion

Greta Markey

David Millman

David Morency

Amanda Morrison

Tanajia Moye-Green

Qusay Omran

Aneesh Pappu

Hannah Park-Kaufmann

Krishna Pathak

Rahul Penumaka

Carla Ramazan

EmJ Rennich

Armin Rezaiean-Asel

Adrien Richez

Sina Sadeghzadeh

Diego Salazar Guerra

Isha Sanghvi

Alina Santander Vinokurova

Monique Santoso

Reed Shafer-Ray

Coleman Sherry

Umar Siddiqi

Kritika Singh

Henry Smith

Ivan Specht

Afi Tagnedji

Katherine Tang

Kavindya Thennakoon

Hannah Thomas

Soudaba Wahabzada

Josh Waldman

Madeline Young

Barkotel Zemenu

Linda Zhang

May. 7, 2024

Rice senior awarded knight-hennessy scholarship to pursue graduate studies at stanford university.

Rice University senior Ryan Wang has been selected as a recipient of the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, marking a significant milestone in his academic journey. The scholarship will enable him to pursue graduate studies at Stanford University, where he will probe deeper into bioengineering with a focus on neuroscience.

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, established in 2018 by Nike co-founder Phil Knight and former Stanford President John Hennessy, aims to develop the next generation of emerging leaders. The elite cohort of scholars is dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and driving positive change on a global scale.

“Knight-Hennessy will connect me with a community of individuals who possess different backgrounds and academic interests but share a common commitment to leadership and innovation,” Wang said. “These interactions will not only amplify the impact of my work but also shape my global and ethical perspective.”

Wang, who is triple-majoring in neuroscience, computer science and cognitive science, will receive a three-year scholarship to pursue his Ph.D. in bioengineering at Stanford’s schools of engineering and medicine beginning fall 2024.

Throughout his undergraduate years, Wang has been involved in research initiatives, particularly in the field of neuroengineering. His contributions include the development of innovative technologies for the noninvasive treatment, study and diagnosis of brain diseases.

“Rice offers an incredible opportunity for its access to research as an undergraduate and its location across the street from the renowned Texas Medical Center ,” Wang said. “The academic flexibility at the university allowed me to explore a triple-major across three different schools.”

Moreover, Wang’s passion for advancing scientific knowledge extends beyond the laboratory. He is co-founder of Neurotech@Rice , a student-led organization connecting hundreds of students to industry, academic and nonprofit opportunities.

At Stanford, Wang will leverage his interdisciplinary background to address global challenges and contribute meaningfully to the fields of bioengineering and neuroscience. He said he aspires to improve scientific understanding of cognition and clinical approaches to neurological diseases.

In addition to the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, Wang has been recognized with such notable awards as the Goldwater Scholarship, Sigma Xi Grant in Aid of Research and National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship.

Danika Brown, executive director of the Center for Civic Leadership , the office at Rice that supports undergraduates seeking nationally competitive fellowships, commended Wang for his outstanding scholarship and leadership qualities.

“Wang is not only a great scholar but also a leader who is committed to making change in the world,” Brown said.

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Awards attract thousands of applicants from around the globe with only a select few chosen to receive the coveted scholarship. This year the organization received 8,272 total applications with 4,493 eligible applications for the 2024 cohort.

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2024 URF Scholars Recipients

Thirty-six college of engineering students received 2024 URF Scholars Graduation Recognition Awards . URF Scholars are students who have earned a PEAK Experience Award, applied for a distinguished fellowship, or participated in our Graduate School advising and graduating this year.

Related Faculty: Anand Asthagiri , Michael Jaeggli , Timothy Lannin , Ryan Koppes , Courtney Pfluger , Sandra Shefelbine , Ruobing Bai , Kris Dorsey , Ming Su , Thomas Consi , Alireza Ramezani , Joshua Hertz , Mohammad E. Taslim , Joshua Gallaway , Jeffrey W. Ruberti , Taskin Padir , Luke Landherr , Andrew Gillen , Mark Sivak , Chiara Bellini , Magda Barecka , Behrooz Satvat , Annalisa Onnis-Hayden , Jessica Ormsby , Julia Varshavsky , Shiaoming Shi , Miguel Mireles Nunez , Theo Johnson , Meni Wanunu , Sara Rouhanifard , Lee Makowski , Jacob Walker , Mehdi Abedi , Srinivas Sridhar , Mona Minkara

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Image caption: From left, Ank Agarwal and Anson Zhou

Credit: Stanford University

Two JHU alumni named Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University

Ank agarwal and anson zhou will receive up to three years of tuition at stanford university, along with stipends for living costs, academic expenses, and travel.

By Hub staff report

Two Johns Hopkins alumni, Ank Agarwal and Anson Zhou, will join the 7th cohort of Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University.

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program brings together exceptional graduate students from across all seven schools at Stanford to participate in multidisciplinary dialogue and leadership training. Scholars receive a fellowship for up to three years of tuition, a stipend for living and academic expenses, and a travel stipend for one annual trip to and from Stanford.

Ank Agarwal, from New Haven, Connecticut, is pursuing an MD and a PhD in cancer biology at the Stanford School of Medicine. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor's degree in biology from the Krieger School in 2019. His interests lie at the intersection of cancer, dermatology, education, and health disparities. Previously, Ank worked to advance women's menstrual health rights in prisons and jails, taught English to native Chinese and Spanish speakers in those facilities, and researched solutions to children's education disparities. He also played guitar in several bands and founded Ank Guitars, a company that crafted custom instruments for professional musicians and individuals with mobility challenges. At Johns Hopkins, he won the Woodrow Wilson, Hodson Trust, and Unsung Hero awards for his research and efforts to tackle disparities in prisons and in children's education.

Anson Zhou, from Medford, New York, is pursuing an MD at Stanford School of Medicine and an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from the Whiting School in 2023. Anson aspires to bridge engineering, business, and medicine to catalyze translation of healthcare and life science innovations. At Johns Hopkins, he conducted research in biomaterials for regenerative medicine at the Institute for NanoBioTechnology. This led to him co-founding Innerva, where he developed devices to treat peripheral nerve injuries. He interned at Health Advances and Schrödinger, building strategies for therapeutics adoption and computational drug discovery. Anson also worked as a fellow at Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures and NeuroTech Harbor to support funding efforts across the life sciences. Since graduating, he has worked as an associate consultant at Bain & Company in its private equity practice. He received a Lemelson-MIT Student Prize.

To learn more about applying for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship and other awards and fellowships, visit the university's National Fellowship Program website .

Posted in Alumni

Tagged krieger school , scholarships , whiting school

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Join RAISE Health’s inaugural symposium on AI in health and medicine

Register for the inaugural RAISE Health symposium, which will convene leaders in artificial intelligence for discussions on safe and responsible AI innovation.

May 7, 2024 - By Hanae Armitage

On May 14, the inaugural symposium of RAISE Health , co-hosted by Stanford Medicine and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), will explore AI’s future in biomedicine and address critical issues concerning the technology’s responsible development and use.

Featuring opening remarks from HAI co-director Fei-Fei Li , PhD, and Lloyd Minor , MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine and vice president for health affairs at Stanford University, the event will convene luminaries across sectors to define a path for AI in biomedicine and ensure its societal benefit. Sign up to hear from world-class experts who will engage on these issues and more.

The event will be publicly accessible online via livestream. Register now to secure your spot. 

RAISE Health’s inaugural symposium:

Date: May 14, 2024 Time: 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Pacific time Location: Online (livestreamed); registration required Register now: Secure your spot

For more details and registration, visit https://raisehealthsymposium.sites.stanford.edu/ .

You are also invited to attend the Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) symposium on May 15 , which complements the discussions and learnings of the RAISE Health symposium.

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu .

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