2024 & 2025
Amber Frye
Amber Frye is currently a first year Ph.D. Student in the Joint Biomedical Engineering Program at Georgia Tech and Emory University. She received her bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Her research interests include tissue engineering, regenerative medicine to repair damaged heart tissues, biomechanics, and 3D bio printing. Outside of her academics, Amber is passionate about mentoring students in STEM, enjoys thrifting, and traveling.
2024 & 2025
Elizabeth Nelson
Elizabeth (they/them/theirs) is an incoming Ph.D. student in the Joint Biomedical Engineering Program at Georgia Tech and Emory University. They completed their B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Boston University, where they also minored in Business Administration and Management. Following undergrad, they worked as a technician in the Straehla Lab at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT studying nanoparticle therapeutics in the context of pediatric brain tumors. In their free time, they enjoy walking their dog, spending time with friends, and learning to cook!
Research interests: imaging/microscopy, biomaterials, tissue engineering, personalized precision medicine, and molecular mechanobiology.
2024 & 2025
Mostafa Meselhe
Mostafa Meselhe is currently first-year graduate student in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and a part of the combined MD/PhD program at Emory University. He is from southern Louisiana, and he studied at Tulane University for his bachelor’s degree before moving to England and earning an MPhil from the University of Cambridge. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, rock climb, and cook.
Research interests: tissue engineering, biomaterials and disease modeling for neurovascular applications.
2024 & 2025
Patrick Jones
Patrick is a first-year graduate student in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and a member of the combined MD/PhD program at Emory University. Originally from northern Virginia, Patrick earned both a BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Research interests: cardiovascular mechanics, MRI, endothelial function, and thrombosis
2023 & 2025
Claire Hung
Claire is a second-year Biomedical Engineering PhD student in Dr. Alyssa Panitch’s lab. She received her bachelor’s degree from University of Virginia in Biomedical Engineering. Her research focuses on developing the targeted therapeutic for cellular senescence in fibrotic diseases.
2025
Matthew Ensign
Matthew is a first-year Ph.D. student in the joint Biomedical Engineering department at Georgia Tech and Emory. He previously completed his B.S. in Bioengineering at the University of Maryland.
Research interests: biomaterials, targeted therapeutics, immune engineering, cardiovascular pathophysiology
2025
Samuel Dembowitz
Samuel is currently a Ph.D. student in the Joint Biomedical Engineering Program at Georgia Tech and Emory University in the Coskun Lab for Single Cell Biotechnology and Spatial Omics. At Georgia Tech, he completed his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Health Science and his M.S. with a thesis focused on the combination of spatial omics and mechanobiology in cancer and atherosclerosis. His research interests focus on applying spatial omics and mechanobiology to cardiovascular disease models to improve diagnosis capabilities and therapeutic development. Outside of the lab, he enjoys strength training, listening to music, watching movies, and spending time with friends.
2025
Toby Viet Nguyen
Toby completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Irvine. His research interest is to apply computational modeling to cardiovascular medicine, incorporating computational fluid dynamics into current clinical practices to create more holistic models of patients. Outside of research, Toby enjoys doing calligraphy, volunteering for non-profit organizations, and a good night of karaoke.
