An graduate research assistant in Dr. Joel Bumgardner’s lab since 2019. He pursued a Masters of Science in Biomedical Engineering and studied the effects of raspberry ketone on osteoblast differentiation in vitro.

Email: mtatwill@memphis.edu

OR awillm2017@gmail.com

Julia Strecker graduated with her Masters spring 2023. She graduated from the University of Memphis in Spring 2022 with a BS in Biomedical Engineering. She started the Accelerated Bachelor to Master (ABM) Program in 2021. Her research included research into preventative measures for abdominal adhesions.

A Ph.D. graduate student in Dr. Joel Bumgardner Lab, Melika completed her M.Sc in Biomedical Engineering in 2019 in Iran. She conducted her master thesis research on Brain-Computer Interface systems. Melika was a research trainee at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN in 2013 and worked on cartilage and nerve tissue engineering. She joined the University of Memphis – University of Tennessee Health Science Centre Joint Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering in fall 2019. For her Ph.D. thesis research, she is investigating the drug delivery approach for guided bone regeneration using chitosan-based biomaterials. Melika has currently published 4 articles in reputed journals and conference proceedings.

Mallesh Kurakula was a post-doctoral research fellow working with implantable electrospun Chitosan Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) membranes. He is from a multidisciplinary background having a PhD in Chemistry (2015), Masters in Pharmaceutics (2011), and Bachelor in Pharmacy (2009). Earlier worked on “Fabrication and Evaluation of Polymeric Nanoscaffolds as Implantable Medical Device in Spinal Cord Injuries” as a postdoctoral researcher at University of Bologna, Italy (2016-18) and on “Use of Lipid Nanoparticles for Effective Delivery of siRNA against Chikungunya Virus” as a research associate at CSIR-Indian Institute of chemical technology (IICT), India (2018-19). 

Omar Yunis graduated with his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering in Spring 2020 from the University of Memphis. He is continuing as a graduate student in the University of Memphis – University of Tennesse Health Science Center joint biomedical engineering program. He is currently assisting with research in Dr. Joel Bumgardner’s laboratory through the manufacturing of electrospun chitosan membranes, chitosan films, and other cool things!

Nancy Pont Briant was an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Joel Bumgardner’s lab. She has her Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering. She was a part of the Helin Hardin Honors College at the University of Memphis. She hopes to continue assisting in Dr. Bumgardner’s lab in any way she can.