My Ph.D. thesis provided me with a strong foundation in tissue engineering and single-extracellular-vesicle (EV) phenotyping through surface chemistry techniques and microfluidic technologies. My current work aims to understand the role of the adipocyte in influencing distant metabolic diseases and to understand the mechanisms of weight-loss drugs. My long-term research goals are to combine bioengineering and medical research to understand the progression of obesity-mediated diseases to inform novel detection and treatment strategies to improve human health. 

My research aims to address three major research thrusts: (1) generating microbioreactors for the large-scale, controllable generation of EVs, (2) developing single-EV-based prognostic assays for obesity-associated comorbidities, and (3) engineering therapeutic EVs to overcome obesity-associated comorbidities. My independent research program will integrate tissue engineering, single-EV technologies, cell actuation, machine learning, and pre-clinical murine models. The goals of my research program are to provide mechanistic insights that inform prognostic and therapeutic interventions, while simultaneously promoting the rigor and reproducibility of EV research through the controlled production, purification, and characterization of EVs. The proposed research offers various opportunities for engineering students to learn traditional molecular biology and purification techniques, as well as to develop technologies that encourage job opportunities in both industry and academia.