Mara Schenker, MD is a clinician-scientist at Emory University. Her clinical practice is in orthopaedic trauma at Grady Memorial Hospital, and her interests include complex periarticular trauma, infection, nonunion, and malunion. Dr. Schenker performs approximately 600 complex trauma surgeries per year. Her research interests include host factors associated with delayed fracture healing (nutrition, infection, frailty, and others). Additional research interests include optimization of resident education.

Gary J. Bassell, Ph.D. joined the faculty at Emory University School of Medicine in 2005, where he is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell Biology. His personal lab’s main interest is in understanding the mechanisms and functions of mRNA transport and local protein synthesis in neurons of the central and peripheral nervous system. The lab utilizes in vitro and in vivo mouse models and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to study the basic mechanism, regulation and function of mRNA localization and local translation in axonal growth cones and dendritic spines. Prior to moving Emory, Dr. Bassell was a member of the faculty at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology (1995-1998) and subsequently in the Department of Neuroscience and Rose Kennedy Center for Mental Retardation (1998-2005). 

Hicham Drissi is a professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at Emory University School of Medicine. He holds a Ph.D. from Paris Descartes University.

Our interests lie in the adhesion and signaling molecules of the immune system as well as those involved in platelet adhesion and aggregation. We are primarily focused on early cell surface interaction kinetics and their primary signaling responses, as these are critical in determining how a cell will ultimately respond upon contact with another cell. The majority of our work ranges from single molecule interaction studies using atomic force microscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, or biomembrane force probe assays to single cell studies using micropipette adhesions assays, fluorescence imaging techniques, or real-time confocal microscopy. These assays focus on the mechanics and kinetics of receptor-ligand binding and their downstream signaling effects within cells. T cell receptors, selectins, integrins, and their respective ligands are some of the cell surface molecules currently under investigation in our lab. Understanding the initial interaction between molecules such as these and their subsequent early signaling processes is crucial to elucidating the response mechanisms of these physiological systems. Ultimately, our research strives to help better understand the mechanisms within these systems for possible medical applications in autoimmunity, allergy, transplant rejection, and thrombotic disorders. 

Aaron Young is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and is interested in designing and improving powered orthotic and prosthetic control systems for persons with stroke, neurological injury or amputation. His previous experience includes a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan in the Human Neuromechanics Lab working with exoskeletons and powered orthoses to augment human performance. He has also worked on the control of upper and lower limb prostheses at the Center for Bionic Medicine (CBM) at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. His master's work at CBM focused on the use of pattern recognition systems using myoelectric (EMG) signals to control upper limb prostheses. His dissertation work at CBM focused on sensory fusion of mechanical and EMG signals to enable an intent recognition system for powered lower limb prostheses for use by persons with a transfemoral amputation.

Vladimir V. Tsukruk is a Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Engineering at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, a founding Director of Microanalysis Center, and founding co-director of DoD BIONIC Center of Excellence.  He received MS degree in physics from the National University of Ukraine, PhD in polymer science and DSc in chemistry from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. He carried out his post-doc research at the U. Marburg, Darmstadt TU, and U. Akron.

He serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of ten professional journals and as an Associate Editor at ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. He has co-authored more than 400 refereed articles in archival journals and five books, which have been cited more than 15,500 times with H-index of 60 (WoS).  He has organized ten professional symposia and trained about 70 students currently employed in industry, academia, and national labs.  His research in the field of surfaces, interfaces, directed assembly of synthetic/natural polymers and nanostructures, and bioinspired hybrid nanomaterials has been recognized by The Georgia Tech Outstanding Research Author Award (2015), the Humboldt Lectureship (2011), Humboldt Research Award (2010) and the National Science Foundation Special Creativity Award (2006) among others.

Matt is a former Tar Heel from UNC Chapel Hill. His training is in mass spectrometry-based proteomics and G protein signaling. He has been investigating PTMs since 2001. He is also a co-director of the Systems Mass Spectrometry Core (SYMS-C) facility at Georgia Tech.

Stephen Sprigle is a Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology with appointments in Bioengineering, Industrial Design and the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. 

A biomedical engineer with a license in physical therapy, Sprigle directs the Rehabilitation Engineering and Applied Research Lab (REARLab), which focuses on applied disability research and development. The REARLab’s research interests include the biomechanics of wheelchair seating and posture, pressure ulcer prevention, and manual wheelchair propulsion. Its development activities include standardized wheelchair and cushion testing and the design of assistive and diagnostic technologies. Sprigle teaches design-related classes in both the Schools of Industrial Design and Mechanical Engineering.

Physiological and biomechanical mechanisms underlying fine motor skills and their adjustments and adaptations to heightened sympathetic nerve activity, aging or inactivity, space flight or microgravity, neuromuscular fatigue, divided attention, and practice in humans. He uses state-of-the-art techniques in neuroscience, physiology, and biomechanics (e.g., TMS, EEG, fMRI, single motor unit recordings, microneurography, mechanomyography, ultrasound elastography, and exoskeleton robot) in identifying these mechanisms.

 In August 2023, Krishnendu Roy joined Vanderbilt University as the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering and a University Distinguished Professor in Biomedical Engineering, and Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, with a secondary appointment in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

Previously, Roy served as Robert A. Milton Endowed Chair for the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech. He is also the former Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT), Center for ImmunoEngineering at Georgia Tech, and Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing. 

His overall research interests are in developing novel concepts for stem cell engineering as well as polymer controlled delivery of biological factors, especially for nucleic acid therapeutics (DNA, SiRNA and oligos) and immunoengineering. Currently, his group is involved in the following major areas of research; (a) Developing novel concepts to produce biodegradable surface functionalized micro-and nanoparticles for targeted and sustained delivery of nucleic acids, proteins, peptides and other immune modulators. In particular he is interested in developing multi-agent vaccine delivery systems for cancer and infectious diseases as well as immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases. (b) Creating spatio-temporally patterned polymer scaffolds for directed compartmental differentiation of stem cells into multiple lineages. (c) Engineering an artificial thymic niche for directed differentiation of stem cells into functional, antigen- specific T cells. (e) The development of novel nanoimprinting techniques to generate shape specific, environmentally triggered drug nanocarriers.

Faces of Research - Profile Article