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
Sara Abdelsalam, BS
Sara earned a dual bachelor's degree in Bioengineering from the University of Louisville and Alexandria University in Egypt through a 2+2 program. She am now pursuing an MS in Bioengineering on the thesis track and has a strong passion for cancer research and cell mechanobiology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and playing squash.
Madeline Cissell, BS
Madeline Cissell received her Bachelor's of Science in Bioengineering from the University of Louisville and is pursuing her Master's in Bioengineering. She has a passion for cancer research and biomimetic environments. In her free time, she enjoys climbing and hiking with shelter dogs.
McKenzie Johnson, MS
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.
Wyatt Quinones, BS
Wyatt received his Bachelor's degree in Bioengineering from the University of Louisville and is pursuing an MS in Bioengineering. He has a passion for bioengineering on the cellular level and cancer research. In his free time, he enjoys long distance running and soccer.
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
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.
Charles Froman-Glover
Charles is a medical 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.
Undergraduate Students
Scarlett Compton
Scarlett is a sophomore undergraduate pursuing a degree in biology on a pre-medical track at UofL. She hopes to become an oncologist in the future and has an interest in cancer research. In her free time, Scarlett enjoys reading, playing badminton, and spending time with friends and family.
Jasmine Looi
Jasmine is a sophomore undergraduate pursuing a degree in bioengineering. Her passions lie in cancer research, and exploring engineering applications within the field. In her free time, she enjoys trying new recipes and taking ballet classes.
Collin McEntire
Collin is a Sophomore bioengineering student at the University of Louisville with desires to pursue graduate school after earning a bachelor’s degree. His passions lie within cell work and tissue engineering along with cancer research. He hopes to eventually partake in research full time, however, beyond academics he enjoys going on hikes, working out, and spending time with friends & family
Alumni
Bryce Thompson (2024 - 2025) - Design Assurance Engineer, Freudenberg Medical
Sihan Sun (2022 - 2025) - Master’s Student, Indiana University, Department of Biology
Brent Wilburn (2024 - 2025) - University of Louisville Medical School
Neha Anil (2021 - 2023) - University of Kentucky Medical School
Dominic Armagno (2021 - 2023) - University of Kentucky Medical School
Zoe Lung (2022 - 2023) - University of Louisville Medical School
Marco Munoz (2022 - 2023) - University of Cincinnati Medical School
Bradley Mahaffey, MS (2022 - 2023) - PhD Student; University of Michigan, Department of Biomedical Engineering
