Dr. Brian Aguado (Twitter: @BrianAguado) is currently an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at UC San Diego, where his laboratory research is focused on studying sex differences in cardiovascular disease using biomaterial technologies. Dr. Aguado completed his BS degree in Biomechanical Engineering from Stanford University and his MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. He also obtained his certificate in Management for Scientists and Engineers from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Dr. Aguado has received numerous awards to support his research, including the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, the American Heart Association Career Development Award, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Science Diversity Leadership Award. Dr. Aguado is also a dedicated science communicator outside of the lab and seeks to engage historically excluded and marginalized populations in the sciences. Dr. Aguado co-founded the non-profit LatinXinBME (Twitter: @LatinXinBME), a social media organization dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive community of Latinx biomedical engineers and scientists to support each other personally and professionally through their careers.  For his efforts, he was named one of the 100 Most Inspiring Latinx Scientists in America by Cell Press and received the Society for Biomaterials Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award and the GEMINI Faculty Mentor Award from the Institute for Engineering in Medicine. 

Ash is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Bioengineering at UC San Diego. Originally from Sydney, Australia, she obtained a dual Bachelors degree in Commerce and Science with majors in Biotechnology and Business Law from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). She then joined the labs of Professor Kristopher Kilian and Professor Lawrence Lee in the respective Schools of Chemistry and Medicine, fabricating DNA force probes to characterize cellular tractions on micropatterned hydrogel substrates as part of her Honours thesis in 2019. She then completed her PhD in Chemistry with Professor Kilian in 2023, developing a 3D hydrogel matrix platform based on a novel tryptophan zipper peptide motif, while also specializing in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), iPSC- and patient-derived organoids, peptide and polymer synthesis, and materials chemistry characterization techniques. In the Aguado lab, Ash will be developing biomaterial platforms to study the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in guiding chromosome development during human embryogenesis, as well the impact of the ECM in pathologies such as aortic valve stenosis (AVS).

Nicole is a PhD student, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and IEM GEMINI Fellow in the Department of Bioengineering at UC San Diego. Having started her college career in her homeland at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, she transferred to Cornell University where she obtained her BS in Biological Engineering. Nicole works in creating patient-specific in vitro models of aortic valve stenosis to understand how different inflammatory biochemical cues can affect disease progression via epigenetic alterations. She is also interested in investigating how loss of Y chromosome in aging males can influence valvular fibrosis progression in a male-specific manner. Aside from research, Nicole is passionate about communicating science and making it accessible to all. Additionally, she is determined in providing students the tools they need to succeed in their careers. She is involved in the Bioengineering Graduate Society, founding its Diversity Committee in 2022 and serving as co-president of the organization. 

Talia Baddour is a fourth year PhD student in the Department of Bioengineering at UC San Diego. She graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lafayette college. As a researcher, she is passionate about utilizing engineering as a tool to bring awareness to the mechanisms by which sex influences disease and subsequent therapeutics. Talia's research in the Aguado Lab is focused on using single cell and spatial RNA sequencing techniques to understand the sex-specific mechanisms by which valve disease progresses. She will apply a multi-omics approach to 3D hydrogel platforms to recapitulate valve disease in vitro. Talia is also dedicated to mentorship and helping underrepresented students excel in STEM. Talia is highly involved in Gender Minorities in bioengineering helping to create the annual Networking Night and has served as a Professional Development Chair.  During the summer, she enjoys facilitating fun science projects at Camp Connect, a STEM camp for high school students who identify as migrants. 

Rayyan is a PhD student in the Department of Bioengineering at UC San Diego. She is also an ARCS Scholar, GEM Associate Fellow, and served as Racial Equity Fellow through the Jacobs School of Engineering. She earned her bachelor's degree at Johns Hopkins University in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and her master’s degree at Northwestern University in Biomedical Engineering. Her master’s thesis worked to create an in vitro model of diabetic endothelial cell dysfunction using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In the Aguado Lab, Rayyan builds upon her experience with iPSCs in her efforts to create patient-specific models. She seeks to further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving sex differences in the development and progression of heart disease. Outside of lab, Rayyan fuels her passion for outreach and mentorship through the Bioengineering Graduate Society (BEGS) and PATHS. In BEGS, she currently chairs the Festival Outreach Committee and serves as co-President. Rayyan also works as a Graduate Advocate for the Pathways to STEM Scholars (PATHS) program. She mentors multiple underrepresented undergraduate STEM scholars in their pursuit of graduate and professional school.

Brandon is a third year PhD student in the Bioengineering Department at UC San Diego and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.  He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Colorado Boulder while volunteering in the lab of Dr. Kristi Anseth and completing an honor's thesis identifying clinically relevant serum proteins that impact aortic valve stenosis progression. Brandon then joined the Aguado Lab as a staff research associate for a year before transitioning into the PhD program.  Since joining the lab, Brandon has developed a high-throughput hydrogel cell culture platform to be used in combination with a drug optimization algorithm to identify sex-specific anti-fibrotic drug combinations to treat aortic valve stenosis. He is also investigating how factors from aortic valve stenosis patient serum impact drug sensitivity and drug combination efficacy as part of his larger thesis aims to develop targeted drug treatments and investigate how patient sex impacts drug sensitivity. Beyond his work in the lab, Brandon is a committed mentor to prospective graduate students as a member of the Jacobs Undergraduate Mentorship Program.

Sarah is a first-year PhD student in the Bioengineering Department at UC San Diego. She recently graduated from Duke University with a B.S.E in Biomedical Engineering. She conducted undergraduate research as a Pratt research fellow and Duke Cardiovascular Research Center CURE fellow in Dr. Nenad Bursac’s lab. Her research focused on screening for and characterizing methods to induce cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation both through in vitro engineered heart tissues (EHTs) as well as in vivo mouse models. Her senior independent research focused on the novel use of oncogenes as cardiac mitogens to induce regeneration post myocardial infarction (MI). During her graduate studies, Sarah is excited to continue researching cardiovascular disease and dive into the often overlooked and understudied variable of sex-based differences. Working alongside Meaghan Loud during her rotation, she will help to characterize the sex-dependent foreign body response, paving the way to engineer sex-specific immunomodulatory biomaterials for the injured heart.

Meaghan Loud is a Staff Research Associate in the Department of Bioengineering at UCSD. She acquired her Bachelor’s of Science from Cal Poly Pomona in animal science, and her Master’s of Science in animal biology at UC Davis. Her Master’s thesis focused on manipulating the normal breeding cycle in horses through the injection of recombinant hormones. After completing her Master’s she put her skills in reproductive biology to work in the Transgenic Core at the Salk Institute, where she assisted in generating novel mouse models. Meaghan moved to Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the lab of Dr. Ardem Patapoutian as an animal behavior technician, where she was responsible for conducting somatosensory behavioral tests for in vivo lab projects. She acquired many in vitro skills as well, such as cell culture and molecular biology techniques, and in 2020 was officially promoted to the title of Lab Manager. While working at HHMI she served as the secretary on the Advisory Board for the Lab Manager Network of Professionals, where she strove to create an inclusive, engaging, and supportive environment for other lab managers at different HHMI-funded labs across the country. In the Aguado lab, Meaghan is working in the “Scaffold Squad” to use implantable biomaterials to probe the immune system response in an X-chromosome dependent manner. Coupling her prior scientific experiences with the Aguado lab’s technology, she is using in vivo animal models to characterize the foreign body response by utilizing advanced, cutting-edge technologies, such as Spectral cytometry and spatial transcriptomics.

Mason Faust is a first-year master’s student in the Department of Bioengineering at UCSD. He received his Bachelor's of Science from UCSD in Bioengineering with a focus in bioinstrumentation. He was accepted into the 5-year BS/MS program which condenses his master’s program into one year. Mason joined the Aguado lab at the start of his third year, working under the joint mentorship of Rayyan Gorashi and Talia Baddour, where he learned skills in cell culture techniques, immunohistochemistry, and hydrogel synthesis. In his fourth year, he developed a 3D enzymatically responsive hydrogel to be used as a cell culture platform to investigate sex-specific matrix remodeling with the help of Talia Baddour and alumni Kristi Tu for his senior design project. Now as a graduate student, Mason’s project aims to define the role of sex chromosomes and sex hormones on the activation of cardiac fibroblasts during heart failure. 

June Akpata is a new master’s student in the department of Bioengineering at UC San Diego. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree on the Biomedical pathway from University of the Pacific. She was additionally honored as the Bioengineering department’s Outstanding Graduate for the 2024 class. While she studied, she competed as a dual-sport NCAA Division I athlete in water polo and swimming. During her graduate studies, June aims to prepare for a career in the biotechnology industry with the aim of working in the fields of tissue engineering, biomaterials, and regenerative medicine. During her year at the lab, she will work with Ash Nguyen to develop biomaterial platforms to study the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in guiding chromosome development during human embryogenesis and the impact of the ECM in pathologies such as aortic valve stenosis (AVS). During her free time, she enjoys listening to music, trying new restaurants with friends, shopping, talking to her sister and parents, and playing with her dog Maile.

Kimmy is a first-year thesis-track Master's student in the Department of Bioengineering at UC San Diego. Studying at the Georgia Institute of Technology in her hometown of Atlanta, she earned her Bachelor's degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a concentration in Biotechnology. She has experience in industry as an Application Development Engineering Intern working on Beauty and Personal Care formulation at Momentive Performance Materials, as well as experience in academia as a Research Associate in the metabolic engineering group of the Peralta-Yahya Lab at Georgia Tech. Starting grad school at UCSD, her goal is to prepare for a career in industry R&I in the fields of biotechnology that most interest her: biomaterials, omics, medical devices and formulations, epigenetics, and cell molecular biology. She will begin her rotation in the Aguado Lab working with Talia Baddour to develop accurate in vitro models of sex-dependent valve disease progression. More specifically, in characterizing the sex-specific effects of mechanical and biochemical cues on valve cells cultured in three dimensional hydrogel constructs via spatial transcriptomics.

Vivian Zheng is a first-year master’s student in the Bioengineering Department at UC San Diego. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Bioengineering from Rice University where she developed a strong foundation in microbiology research tackling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. As she begins her graduate work, Vivian aims to explore the realm of cell and tissue engineering, and develop the research techniques and critical thinking skills that can propel her forward in the biotechnology industry. During her rotation in the Aguado Lab, she will be working with Meaghan Loud to study the sex differences in foreign body response in an animal model.

Megan Chavez is a third-year undergraduate student at UC San Diego’s Marshall College, majoring in Bioengineering, upon graduating from PUC Community Charter Early College High School as the Salutatorian of her class. She was accepted into UC San Diego as a Jacobs and Reagant Scholar, selected for her academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, commitment to the community, and innovative potential. Jacobs Scholars represent the top 1% of the engineering applicants upon acceptance and must continue to perform at a high academic standard at UCSD. As she continues her undergraduate studies, she has been a member of the Aguado Lab from the beginning of her first year and has now also gained exposure to large-scale research from the Los Alamos National Laboratory. In the Aguado Lab, she is mentoring under PhD student Brandon Vogt and assisting in his research exploring patient-specific drug responses in AVS using a computational approach to develop customized drug combinations to halt aortic valve stenosis progression. Outside of the lab, Megan is involved on campus as a member of BMES, SWE, The Scholar’s Society, GMBE, and is on the UC San Diego Ultimate Club team.

Rene Peña is a first-year undergraduate student at UC San Diego’s Muir College, majoring in Bioengineering with a specialization in Biotechnology and minoring in Spanish Literature. Following a pre-med track, Rene is particularly focused on developing healthcare technologies in the cardiothoracic sector to address cardiovascular disease conditions. As a bilingual, first-generation Latino student, Rene is committed to enhancing their interlinguistic communication skills through their Spanish Literature studies to better connect with diverse patient populations. Rene was nominated as the "Most Involved" student in UCSD’s 2024 Summer Engineering Institute and is an IDEA Scholar within the Jacobs School of Engineering. While new to research, Rene is eager to gain hands-on lab experience and contribute to advancements in determining sex-specific paths to treatments for cardiovascular diseases. Their long-term goal is to combine engineering innovation with clinical solutions, developing cutting-edge technologies that improve cardiovascular disease treatment and patient care for all. 

Kati Richter is a second-year undergraduate student at UC San Diego majoring in Bioengineering with a specialization in Bioinformatics at Eleanor Roosevelt College. Currently, in the Aguado Lab she is mentored under Rayyan Gorashi working to understand differences in heart disease progression among men and women. Outside of the lab, she manages the social media for the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society and participates in the Taiwanese American Student Association and Undergraduate Bioinformatics Club. She hopes to use bioinformatics tools in the future to create patient-specific treatments to improve healthcare for women and people of color.