Welcome to BE @ UPenn

Hi all! My name is Anna and I am a second year PhD student in Cesar de la Fuente's lab. My current research is focused on understanding the sequence, structure and activity relationships of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to help design better antibiotics that combat the global threat of antimicrobial resistance. Outside lab, I enjoy running, exploring the city with friends, hanging out with my cat, Cheese, and traveling. I look forward to meeting you all - please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions about the program, Penn, or Philly!

previous institution: 

B.A. Albion College 

acrysler@seas.upenn.edu

Hi there, my name is Ksenija! I'm a second year PhD student in Flavia Vitale's lab working on developing novel bio-electronics and designing multimodal strategies to investigate and treat neurological disorders. I am also on Penn's club tennis team. In my free time I enjoy drawing and painting, hiking, and exploring local breweries. I grew up just outside of Philly, so I'm happy to chat about the city, life at Penn or transitioning into grad school.

previous institution: 

B.S. Boston University

ktasich@seas.upenn.edu

Hi everyone! My name is Tara and I am a first year PhD student in Claudia Loebel's lab. My current research focuses on using hydrogels to make an in vitro model of the alveoli to understand cell-ECM interactions in fibrosis. Outside of lab, I enjoy reading, going to coffee shops, exploring the city, and traveling. I look forward to meeting you all and am happy to answer any questions about Penn, grad school, or Philly! 

previous institution: 

B.S. University of Virginia

taratav@seas.upenn.edu

Hi, I'm Oliver, a first year PhD student in Nik Sgourakis' lab at CHOP. My research focuses on T Cell Receptor engineering to combat HLA restriction in solid cancers. Outside of research, I enjoy finding new happy hours with friends, reading, listening to music, and exploring the art scene. I moved to Philly for grad school but would be glad to try to answer any questions you may have. 

Previous Institution: 

B.S. Northeastern University

otrejo@seas.upenn.edu

Hi!! I'm Emily and I'm a first year PhD student in Claudia Loebel's lab working on developing modular hydrogel systems that recapitulate dynamic tissue architectures in vitro to investigate how evolving mechanotransduction affects cell-ECM remodeling. Beyond the lab, I love updating my Beli, going to concerts, exploring vintage markets, and collecting Jellycats and Smiskis. I'm excited to meet you all and feel free to reach out with any questions you have about BE (I pivoted from ChemE), Penn, Philly, or more!

previous institution: 

B.S.E Princeton University

emwang@seas.upenn.edu

Hello everyone! My name is Seokhee Kang and I am a first year PhD in Michael Beauchamp's Lab in the Neurosurgery department. I research how applying direct electrical stimulation to the brain affects the electrophysiology and induces perception, with the ultimate goal of developing neural prosthetics. Outside of research, I enjoy exploring the city, going to live music venues and golfing. Before Penn, I did my Masters in Biomedical Engineering in a different city and worked in the industry as an engineer. Also, I am originally from Korea. I would be happy to chat about living in the city, moving to a foreign country, and transitioning from industry to grad school :))

previous institution: 

M.S. Columbia University

seokhee.kang@seas.upenn.edu

Welcome to the bioengineering program at the University of Pennsylvania! As you embark on your graduate school journey, we would like to extend a congratulations on making it this far, so far!

Our 2026 recruitment team has put a lot of effort in collating resources at your disposal for understanding the flow of recruitment weekend, the recruitment process, how to stay in contact with students/PIs, and what to expect of Philadelphia. There are many tabs that may be of use after recruitment weekend ends or especially helpful as the weekend progresses. I have outlined a brief overview of how you can optimally use this website to your advantage. 

Recommended website navigation:

DURING YOUR VISIT

1. Check out our FAQ page for commonly asked recruit questions and answers

2. Schedule + Map is an easy way to revisit the weekend plans and locations

3. Use our Applicant Q&A form for any anonymous questions you may think of

AFTER YOUR VISIT

1. The Philadelphia Housing Guide has been curated with current student statistics to help guide your living experiences in the city

2. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page has resources on finding support systems and programs located at Penn

Please do not hesitate to reach out to our team at any point during your recruitment process. If anyone was particularly helpful, we love to shout-out our outstanding student volunteers!

All the best of luck in your visit and interviews! We hope you can enjoy Philadelphia and Penn and are happy to assist you throughout your graduate school journey.

Hello! My name is Carlos and I am a 3rd year PhD student in Golnaz Vahedi's lab. I research T cells, specifically trying to understand how intrinsically disordered regions of transcription factors facilitate T cell development and function, with an eye to how said regions can be engineered to modulate said cells.  I am also one of the Co-Presidents for the Penn Graduate Association of Bioengineers (GABE). Outside of work I can be found baking, playing video games or curled up reading sci-fi and mythology books. I am excited to meet all of the recruits and happy to give my insights on Penn, the community, moving process (I moved from SoCal) and more!

previous institution: 

B.S. University of California, San Diego

cpondevi@seas.upenn.edu

Hi everyone! My name is Kate and I'm a 4th year PhD student in Felix Wehrli's lab. My research focuses on the development and translation of novel MRI oximetry techniques for whole brain mapping of cerebral oxygen metabolism in aging and neurodegeneration. I am one of the Co-Presidents for the Penn Graduate Association of Bioengineers (GABE). Outside of lab I love to run, play soccer, read, and snuggle my two cats. I'm excited to meet everyone, and am happy to chat about imaging research, life in the city, philly recreational sports, and Penn in general! :)

previous institution:

B.S. George Washington University

katjaros@seas.upenn.edu

https://gabe.seas.upenn.edu/