People

Prinicipal Investigator (PI)

Faculty

  • John C. O'Donnell, Ph.D.

    John C. O'Donnell, Ph.D.

    Research Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery
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  • Suradip Das, Ph.D.

    Suradip Das, Ph.D.

    Senior Research Investigator
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Lab Management

  • Kevin D. Browne, B.A.

    Kevin D. Browne, B.A.

    Research Project Manager/Lab Manager
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  • Elizabeth Krizman (Liz)

    Elizabeth Krizman (Liz)

    Center Research Coordinator (Lab Mom)
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  • Mike R. Grovola

    Mike R. Grovola

    Research Project Manager
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  • Mykhailo Tatarchuk

    Mykhailo Tatarchuk

    Research Project Manager
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Postdoctoral Fellows

Graduate Students

Undergraduate Students

  • Eric Muthersbaugh

    Eric Muthersbaugh

    BAS Candidate - Neuroscience (2025)
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  • Srijan Kalva

    Srijan Kalva

    Neuroscience and Bioengineering (2025)
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  • Asim Handy

    Asim Handy

    Undergraduate Student - Bioengineering (2027)
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Technicians

Lab Affiliates

Lab Alumni

Kathryn L. Wofford, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery) - https://www.med.upenn.edu/woffordlab/
Projects: Understanding and Employing the Innate Immune System to Promote Regeneration Following Traumatic Brain Injury
Awards & Fellowships: Brain Injury Training Grant “Understanding and Exploiting Innate Immune Cell Infiltration into the Brain Following Trauma” NIH NRSA T32.
Degrees: Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University (2019), M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University (2015), B.A., Biophysics and Psychology with Honors, Austin College (2012)

Victor Acero: 
Project: Engineering an In Vitro Model of Hippocampal Networks
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, High-Efficiency Kirigami Vase Water Harvester (2018-2021),
Fontaine Fellowship (2017)

Ronit Patel
Project: Tissue-engineered nigrostriatal pathway as test-bed for evaluating axonal pathophysiology in Parkinson's disease

Adedotun Bello
Projects: The Effects of Neuronal Lipid Constituents on Susceptibility to Plasma Membrane Damage in Traumatic Brain Injury, The Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on White Matter Interstitial Neurons 

Andrés Garcia-Epelboim

Sam Lien
Project: Tissue Engineered Nerve Grafts

Olivia Rivellini

Yohannes Ghenbot

Connor Wathen
Project: Tissue Engineered Neural Networks for Spinal Cord Injury Repair

Jerry Gao
Project: Investigating the Colocalization of Damaged Neurons and Perivascular Regions After a Single or Repetitive Diffuse TBI

Shavon Coulter: Undergraduate Student, Xavier University of Louisiana

Annette Prah: Undergraduate Student, Emory University

Natalia Fedorcza: Undergraduate Student, Dickenson University

Wisberty J. Gordián-Vélez: Graduate Student, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Projects: Transplantable Axonal Tracts as "Living DBS" for Dopamine Replacement in Parkinson's Disease, Three-Dimensional Human Axon Tracts Derived from Cerebral Organoids

Justin C. Burrell: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania
Projects: Development of Micro-Tissue Engineered Nerve Grafts to Preserve Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Capacity and Maintain the Distal Nerve Pathway, In Vivo Efficacy Testing of Tissue Engineered Nerve Grafts for Peripheral Nerve Injury, Micro-Tissue Engineered Neural Networks to Restore Brain Circuitry

Nicholas Paleologos: Undergraduate Student, Biological Basis of Behavior, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Neuroinflammation and Axonal Pathology Associated with Traumatic Brain Injury in Swine

Kaila Helm: Undergraduate Student, Biological Basis of Behavior, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Tissue-Engineered Living Scaffolds for Neuroregeneration

Carolyn E. Keating: Graduate Student, Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Acute Permeability & Synucleinopathy in TBI and 3D Neural Cell Culture

Dayo Adewole: Graduate Student, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Project: The Application of Micro-Tissue Engineered Neural Networks as Living Electrodes for Sensorimotor Information
Fellowship: NIH NRSA T32 Fellowship (2018 - 2020), NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Micro-Tissue Engineered Neural Networks as "Living Electrodes" to Relay Sensory Information for a Brain-Machine Interface (2015-2018)

Vishal Tian: Undergraduate Student, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Optogenetic Stimulation of Motor Neurons in a Tissue Engineered Nerve Graft to Enhance Axonal Outgrowth

Kritika S. Katiyar, Ph.D.: Bioengineering, Drexel University
Projects: Tissue-Engineered Living Scaffolds for Neuroregeneration; Molecular Mechanisms of Axon-Mediated Axon Regeneration; 3-D Neural Cell Culture Techniques
Fellowship: NIH NRSA F31 Fellowship, Mechanisms for Axonal Guidance Using Living Tissue Engineered Scaffolds (2015-2018)

Halimulati Kaisaier: Undergraduate Student, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Development of Innervated Tissue Engineered Muscle on Aligned Nanofibers for Volumetric Muscle Loss Repair

Laura A. Struzyna, Ph.D.: Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Projects: Tissue-Engineered Biohybrid Neuroprosthetic Interfaces; Micro-Tissue Engineered Neural Networks to Restore Brain Circuitry; Neurophysiological Assessment of Nervous System Repair

Fellowship: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Tissue Engineered Constructs for Neural Repair (2013-2016)

Kate Panzer: Undergraduate Student, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Tissue-Engineered Living Scaffolds for Neuroregeneration

Joseph Maggiore: Undergraduate Student, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Project: In Vivo Efficacy Testing of Tissue-Engineered Nerve Grafts for Peripheral Nerve Injury

Dan Brown, B.S.: Research Specialist
Projects: In Vivo Efficacy Testing of Tissue-Engineered Nerve Grafts for Peripheral Nerve Injury; Chronic Neurodegenerative and Neurophysiological Sequela in TBI

Chelsea Wallace, D.V.M.: Staff Veterinarian
Project: Effects of FK506 on Host Regeneration Through Tissue-Engineered Allograft and Xenograft Nerve Constructs

Sanford Roberts, B.A.: Medical Student
Project: Evaluation of Polyethylene Glycol as an Agent of Rapid Axonal Fusion Following Nerve Transection

Dmitriy Petrov, M.D.: Neurosurgical Resident
Project: Micro-Tissue Engineered Neural Networks to Restore Brain Circuitry

Fellowship: Codman Neurotrauma & Critical CareResearch Fellowship, Micro-Tissue Engineered Neural Networks to Restore Hippocampal Circuitry (2015-2016)

Carla Winter: Undergraduate Student, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Tissue-Engineered Living Scaffolds for Neuroregeneration

Tina Lulla: Undergraduate Student
Project: Micro-Tissue Engineered Neural Networks to Restore Brain Circuitry

Jimmy Harris: Postdoctoral Fellow
Project: Chronic Neurodegenerative and Neurophysiological Sequela in TBI & Micro-Tissue Engineered Neural Networks to Restore Brain Circuitry

Carla Hernandez: Undergraduate Student
Project: Histological Techniques to Assess Neurotrauma Pathology and Repair Strategies

Ryan Zahalka: Undergraduate Student
Project: Molecular Mechanisms of Axon-Mediated Axon Regeneration; Environmental Control for Bench-Top Mechanobioreactor

Ellie Boyle: Undergraduate Student
Project: Tissue Engineering Strategies for Nerve Regeneration

Anthony Parisi: Undergraduate Student
Project: Quantitative Neuropathological Analyses of Rodent and Porcine Tissue Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Joseph Morand, B.S.: Research Specialist
Project: In Vivo Efficacy Testing of Tissue Engineered Nerve Grafts for Peripheral Nerve Injury

Emory Kuo, M.S.: Predoctoral Fellow
Project: Tissue Engineering for Neuroregeneration, Chronic Neurodegenerative and Neurophysiological Sequela in TBI

Constance Mietus, B.A: Research Specialist
Project: Neural Cell Biophysical Responses in Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury

Joe Frasca, Ph.D.: Postdoctoral Fellow
Project: Chronic Neurodegenerative and Neurophysiological Sequela of Closed-Head TBI

John A. Wolf, Ph.D.: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Functional Reorganization of Limbic Circuitry After TBI in Swine, Biohybridized Neural Tissue-Engineered Constructs for Electrical Interface with Peripheral Nerve

Matthew Weingard: Medical Student, Tulane
Project: Tissue Engineering with Primary Cortical Neurons

Scott Yerganian: Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Mechanisms of Axon-Mediated Axon Regeneration

Janid Kiely: Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Biomechanics of Concussion: Pathobiological Implications of Acute Cellular Damage

Arshneel Kochar: Medical Student, CWRU  
Project: Tissue Engineering Micro-Conduits for Targeted Axonal Tract Reconstruction 

Billy Lane: Pre-Med, Notre Dame
Project: Mechanisms of Axonal Degeneration in a Swine Model of Closed-Head TBI

Jonathan Yu: Biology, Haverford College
Project: Tissue Engineering Micro-Conduits for Targeted Axonal Tract Reconstruction