Biomedical engineers from VCU receive NSF graduate research fellowships to continue academic careers
From left: Jessica Nuyen and Ellie Sabalewski
Biomedical engineering students at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering recently received prestigious awards through the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Recognizing outstanding graduate students and promoting their research endeavors, the GRFP helps ensure the quality, vitality and strength of the United States’ science and engineering workforce.
Jessica Nguyen
Having the freedom to ask questions and develop independent research projects as a member of VCU’s Pulmonary Mechanobiology Lab led Jessica Nguyen to a future in medical research. As an undergraduate, she helped develop treatments for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a severe condition affecting more than 150,000 people in the United States each year, according to the American Thoracic Society. Nguyen’s research helped advance formulations for spray dried extracellular matrix nano- and microparticles to treat ARDS symptoms and serve as drug delivery carriers.
“I started research in high school as a fellow of the Dean’s Early Research Initiative (DERI), which kickstarted my love for inquiry and investigation,” Nguyen said. “I grew to love the process of asking questions, conducting the research and troubleshooting projects. It feels surreal to have this GRFP opportunity, and I’m incredibly grateful to the VCU College of Engineering and the biomedical engineering faculty who helped prepare me for this moment.”
Nguyen’s GRFP award enables her to pursue her Ph.D. at Texas A&M, joining the lab of Shreya Raghavan, Ph.D., to work on projects relating to mechanobiology, tissue engineering, and biomaterials for women’s health. During her time at VCU, mentors Rebecca Heise, Ph.D., biomedical engineering department chair and Pulmonary Mechanobiology Lab director, and René Olivares-Navarrete, D.D.S, Ph.D., associate professor, made a big impact on Nguyen’s academic career.
“They reminded me to take a breath and trust the process,” Nguyen said. “I’m somewhat of a perfectionist and it was important to understand that making mistakes is a natural and important part of the learning process. That perspective really shifted how I approach challenges and instead of feeling discouraged by uncertainty, I’ve learned to embrace it as part of the process and as an opportunity to grow.”
Paying that mentorship forward is one of Nguyen’s life goals. She will continue the path of academia and research in order to become a professor of biomedical engineering. Nguyen wants to support students from all backgrounds, especially first generation, low-income and underrepresented groups, encouraging them to pursue higher education and careers in research and STEM.
Ellie Sabalewski
Five years as a member of the Laboratory for Musculoskeletal Research and Innovation at the VCU College of Engineering prepared Ellie Sabalewski for a promising future in research.
Continuing an academic path at the Rice University Department of Bioengineering with the help of her GRFP award, Sabalewski credits mentors Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., executive director of the Institute for Engineering and Medicine, and Joshua Cohen, M.D., research assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, for her ability to interrogate data deeply. “They taught me how to think like a researcher and focus on the ‘why’ behind any results rather than surface level interpretations,” Sabalewski said. She began working in Boyan’s lab as a high school senior through the DERI program at the VCU College of Engineering, an experience that shaped her technical abilities and scientific mindset.
Sabalewski’s passion for research was encouraged by another mentor, Carrie Peterson, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “Dr. Peterson was a great supporter,” Sabalewski said. “I worked in her lab for one summer, took three of her classes and had her as a Capstone mentor. She taught me so much about the range of biomedical engineering research and kept me excited about it all through her consistent energy, excitement, and passion for her work.”
At Rice, Sabalewski conducts research in the Swingle Lab, designing lipid nanoparticles that deliver mRNA instructions to peritoneal macrophages. The goal is to engineer macrophages capable of recognizing and killing ovarian cancer cells. She hopes to become a professor in bioengineering, continuing research that addresses critical gaps in women’s health.
“I am extremely honored to be a recipient of this fellowship,” Sabalewski said. “I have worked very hard in my research career so far, and I am glad that my passion and knowledge showed through my application.” She credits VCU Engineering with giving her the breadth of knowledge and professional grounding needed for that path, as well as early exposure to the realities of academic research. “Nothing prepared me more for the first year of my Ph.D. as much as what I learned while working in the lab at VCU,” Sabalewski said.
The Department of Biomedical Engineering provides undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to perform real-world research as soon as they enroll. From delving into the intricacies of cell migration in cancer research to exploring tissue engineering in menisci, tendons and ligaments, our students pursue a diverse range of cutting-edge research topics. Browse videos and recent news from the Department of Biomedical Engineering to discover how the College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University prepares the next generation of scientists and engineers for the challenges of the future.
Categories Biomedical Engineering, Graduate Student Stories, Student Stories