Principal Investigator

René Olivares-Navarrete, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University
email: ronavarrete@vcu.edu | research gate

---

Lab Members

Jefferson Abaricia

MD-PhD Student

Jefferson's current research interests reside in the field of immunology and how the immune system regulates wound healing, tissue regeneration, and interactions with biomedical implants. He is also interested in the signaling pathways that drive cell interactions with the extracellular matrix, and how mechanical properties of tissues play a role in cellular phenotype.

Loc Bui

Master's Student
M.S. of Physiology

Arth Shah

Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. of Biomedical Engineering 2020

Arth is a senior in VCU's biomedical engineering program. His research efforts explore the impact of a cell's environment on its phenotype. Arth enjoys podcasting about sports, tutoring, and winning volleyball tournaments.

Abigail Park

Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. of Biomedical Engineering 2020

Abigail is a senior majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in chemistry and mathematics. She is curious about the effects of pharmaceuticals on the immune response and healing. Abigail can be found reading in her free time, continuing to suppress her goal of reading 75 books in 2019.  

Benjamin Angeles

Research Assistant
B.S. of Biomedical Engineering 2022

Ben is a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering on the cell and tissue engineering track. He is interested in how signal pathways in the immune system influence tissue regeneration. In his free time, Ben enjoys photography, cooking and playing the piano.

Anjali Ta

Research Assistant
B.S. of Biomedical Engineering 2022

Anjali is currently a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering on the pre-med track. She is interested in investigating the mechanisms behind macrophage and biomaterial interaction within the context of prosthetic implants. Outside of the lab, Anjali is a member of Phi Sigma Rho Engineering Sorority and enjoys kayaking, biking, and listening to music.

Alumni:

Nancy Ayad
M.S. Student
Current Position: Scientific Manager at Leidos

Emily Burtch
Undergraduate Researcher
Current Position: Ph.D. Student at University of Colorado

Manotri Chaubal
Undergraduate Researcher
Current Position: M.S. Student at Harvard University

Garret Cyprus
Undergraduate Researcher
Current Position: R&D Scientist at InhibRx

Kelly Hotchkiss
​Ph.D. Student
Current Position: Postdoctoral Scholar at Duke University

Suraj Kandalam
M.S. Student
Current Position:

Gireesh Reddy
Undergraduate Researcher
Current Position: MD Student at Duke University

Cynthia Rishi
REU Mechanobiology
Current Position: BME Undergraduate at Cornell University

Kegan Sowers
M.S. Student
Current Position:

Sarah Tracy
Undergraduate Researcher
Current Position:

Andy Vo
Undergraduate Researcher
Current Position: Intramural Research Training Fellow at NCATS (NIH)

Heidi Ward
​Undergraduate Researcher
Current Position: BME Undergraduate at VCU

Alexander Whitehead
Undergraduate Researcher
Current Position: Ph.D. Student at UC San Diego

Cristian Coriano-Ortiz
Undergraduate Reseacher
Current Position: Ph.D. Student at Boston University

Ryan Musselman
Undergraduate Researcher
Current Position: Ph.D. Student at VCU

---

---