Project: 

Engineering a Human Microphysiological System for the Characterization of
Islet -Immune Interactions

►Where are you from originally, and where did you go to school?

Grew up in India, Engineering degree from the famed Indian Institute of Technology. Worked in a mining company for a couple of months (yes inside real mines), before coming to the US for doctoral degree in Materials Science and Engineering. Picked up Bioengineering skills during postdoc.

►What is your current position?

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Associate Director of Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute at University of Miami

►Why did you decide to become a researcher?

Desire to create useful tools, and creative freedom to do that.

►What is the “Big Picture” of what you study?

 Tools that replace/supplement animal models for studying human diseases

►What is your favorite aspect of your research?

People. Trainees, Colleagues, Collaborators, Mentors. Science attracts the coolest phenotypes

► What do you hope to achieve with your research?

We hope to improve the methods that pharmaceutical companies employ to develop drugs, and the tools that researchers employ to discover mechanisms of human diseases.