Joseph Chen, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Bioengineering
Postdoc: University of California, Berkeley
(mentor: Sanjay Kumar)
PhD Biomedical Engineering: Vanderbilt University
(mentor: W. David Merryman)
MS Biomedical Engineering: Mississippi State University (mentor: Jun Liao)
BS Biomedical Engineering: Mississippi State University
Dr. Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Louisville. His research interests include investigating the mechanobiological drivers of disease progression, with a focus on neurodegeneration and glioblastoma invasion. His lab leverages tools from the fields of biomaterials, biomechanics, and gene editing to tease out the underlying mechanobiological pathways in disease.
Dr. Chen received his BS and MS from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Mississippi State University, where he worked in the lab of Jun Liao and studied valvular biomechanics and tissue engineering. He then earned his PhD in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University, where he studied the impact of mechanical strain on the progression of aortic valve disease in the lab of W. David Merryman. Prior to arriving at Louisville, Dr. Chen worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Sanjay Kumar at the University of California, Berkeley. His postdoctoral work focused on investigating the impact of cytoskeletal regulators in glioblastoma invasion and elucidating the underlying mechanisms that drive mesenchymal shifting in glioblastoma.
Graduate Students
Zach Fowler, MEng
He received his MEng in Bioengineering and minored in Philosophy and is also a Porter Scholar. He served as director of Cardinal Club for two years, a campus organization that tutors students at a nearby elementary school. Additionally, he has worked in the emergency department at Norton Hospital as a medical scribe. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and spending time with friends & family.
McKenzie Johnson, BS
McKenzie recieved her Bachelor's of Science in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She successfully proposed and defended her undergraduate thesis exploring the bio-mechanical role of strain in angiogenesis. She has a passion for cancer research and creating more physiologically accurate models to study various disease states. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her dog Maizie.
Landon Teer, BS
Landon Teer received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Mississippi State University with minors in Mathematics and Spanish. He has expertise in biomechanics, biomaterial fabrication, and 3D-printing techniques for bone tissue regeneration. Additionally, he has worked in close collaboration with colleagues in veterinary medicine to extend his findings in in vivo models. Landon has a passion for developing and improving biomedical tools for tissue engineering and biomaterial applications. He was recently awarded the University Fellowship at UofL.
Visiting Researchers
Brent Wilburn
Brent is a senior at Bellarmine University obtaining his B.S. in Biology with a minor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He is on the premed track and hopes to become a cardiothoracic surgeon. He currently serves as the Vice President of Personal Relations for the Bellarmine University Biology Club and is a volunteer at the University of Louisville Hospital Emergency Department. Brent has a passion for helping those in need and wants to make a difference in the world. In his free time, Brent enjoys hiking, traveling, and playing volleyball both in competitive and intramural leagues.
Undergraduate Students
Lylah Cox
Lylah is a sophomore undergraduate pursuing a double major in biology and neuroscience and minoring in public health. As a Grawemeyer scholar and EMT, her passions lie within emergency medicine and research as a continuum of patient care. Her research pursuits delve into the biochemical facets of neurodegeneration and oncology, conditions that, while not immediate emergencies, remain a significant challenge over the course of life. Beyond academics and work commitments, she works with the Commonwealth Policy Coalition, Grawemeyer RSO, and shadows in the UofL ER. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and reading.
Eric Dong
Eric is a freshman majoring in bioengineering with hopes of going to grad school after graduation. He has worked on making a mutant library for Burkholderia Pseudomallei to identify genes which are important to the bacteria's virulence. On campus, he is involved in Chinese Student Union in his free time he enjoys playing tennis.
Charles Froman-Glover
Charles is a senior neuroscience student who is passionate about cancer research and fostering a diverse work place. He hopes to become a neurosurgeon one day and is the founder and president of the Pre-Medical Chapter of the American Medical Student Association at UofL. Charles is also an active volunteer at UofL’s level 1 trauma center. He loves helping others find their passions and connecting them to opportunities. In his free time, he volunteers as a youth mentor in the middle school ministry at his local church.
Sihan Sun
Sihan is a junior majoring in biology with hopes of pursuing graduate school after her undergraduate coursework. She has spent ample time volunteering at the No.4 People's Hospital of Shanghai in the past and enjoys helping and organizing events in the Asia Institute-Crane House at UofL. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her dogs and draw digital art.
Alumni
Neha Anil (2021 - 2023) - M1; University of Kentucky Medical School
Dominic Armagno (2021 - 2023) - M1; University of Kentucky Medical School
Zoe Lung (2022 - 2023) - M1; University of Louisville Medical School
Marco Munoz (2022 - 2023) - University of Louisville Medical School G.E.M.S
Bradley Mahaffey, MS (2022 - 2023) - PhD Student; University of Michigan, Department of Biomedical Engineering
