People
Meet the team
Scientists and engineers working together to build the next generation of immunotherapies.
Principal Investigator
Parisa Yousefpour
Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Affiliate, Department of Systems Biology
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- I grew up near the Caspian Sea, so swimming comes naturally to me.
- Sci-fi is my least favorite book genre. I prefer my sci real.
- I won my first personal laptop in a lottery.
Outside of science, most likely found: Playing board games
Hometown: Babol, Iran
Graduate students
Andrea Li
MS/PhD Student
Andrea graduated from Georgia Tech with a BS in Biomedical Engineering. As an undergraduate researcher in the Dahlman Lab, she characterized novel lipid nanoparticle formulations for nucleic acid therapies. She also interned at Moderna, where she bridged the gap between preclinical research and clinical applications by investigating innate immune and inflammatory responses to LNPs and RNA modifications and developing organ-on-chip devices to uncover underlying mechanisms. She subsequently worked as a research assistant in the Hammond Lab at MIT generating layer-by-layer nanoparticles for targeted cancer therapies. Her current research interests involve designing the next generation of RNA vaccines and their applications in gene and cell therapies.
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- I’ve learned how to sing happy birthday in each of my friends’ native languages.
- I don’t like coffee, but I’ll drink it iced.
- I once missed an international flight because I was at the wrong airport in the same city.
Outside of science, most likely found: At the gym
Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky
Arshveer Sachdeva
MS/PhD Student
Arshveer received his BS in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2025. During his undergrad, his research focused on characterizing the epigenetic and cytotoxic effects of various pollutants commonly found in the environment, and using CRISPR/Cas9 derived systems to reverse these effects. This work led him to pursue a PhD, where his research interests lie in developing new platforms for drug and vaccine delivery to improve specificity and efficacy.
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- I know how to play trombone.
- I hate horror movies.
- I first became interested in biomedical engineering because of Star Wars.
Outside of science, most likely found: Trying out new restaurants around NYC
Hometown: Princeton, NJ
Bryan Zhou
MS Student
Bryan attended Johns Hopkins University and graduated in May 2025 with a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChemBE). During all four years of his undergrad, he conducted research in Dr. Denis Wirtz’s lab, focusing mainly on using 3D spheroid co-cultures to investigate the effects monocytes in the TME have on the invasiveness of TNBC tumor cells (MDA-MB-231) and uncovering the underlying mechanisms. Going forward, his primary research interests involve investigating how the immunosuppressive mechanisms of the TME can be exploited when paired with engineered biomaterials to improve delivery, efficacy, and safety of anticancer immunotherapies and gene therapies.
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- The porterhouse is my favorite cut of steak and I prefer it cooked medium rare.
- I skipped 5th grade.
- I once walked on the roof of a 300 m+ unfinished skyscraper.
Outside of science, most likely found: In the gym training for an upcoming powerlifting meet
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Guadalupe Lauro
MS Student
Guadalupe received her B.S. in Biochemical Engineering from UC Davis, where she conducted research in the Shah Lab. Her research focused on developing a computational pipeline to screen interactions between coronavirus Spike proteins and the human ACE2 receptor, with the goal of identifying emerging viruses with potential for human infection. Working at the intersection of virology and engineering got her interested in immunology and in exploring how engineering approaches can be applied to develop new therapeutics.
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- I don’t like romance books.
- I have always wanted to move to NYC.
- I want to go to more live music events.
Outside of science, most likely found: In a coffee shop with friends!
Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Luke Pauli
MS/PhD Student
Luke earned his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Oklahoma. At OU, he was the President of their BMES chapter and directed the 2025 National Medical Device Make-A-Thon. He conducted research in Dr. Wei Chen’s lab, where he studied various synergistic immunotherapy treatments for highly metastatic cancers. He also gained industry experience working as an operations engineering intern at one of Pfizer’s largest manufacturing sites. Luke is excited to continue his work in the therapeutic space, exploring new RNA vaccine platforms and applications as a PhD student in the Yousefpour Lab.
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- I sang the national anthem at a professional baseball game.
- I was an extra in a movie that won an Oscar.
- I have been interviewed by a news station and appeared on TV.
Outside of science, most likely found: Watching my favorite sports teams (OU football and OKC Thunder) or travelling
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Ruxi Xia
MS/PhD Student
Ruxi is from Wuhan, China, and she graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Biochemistry. During her undergraduate research, Ruxi utilized peptides to deliver siRNA to ovarian cancer cells and led many projects highlighting cellular structures through immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. She also gained experience in analytical chemistry as a manufacturing and quality intern. In the future, Ruxi is passionate about continuing conducting clinically translatable research.
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- I made my own sourdough starter.
- I ran a full marathon.
- I had a leopard gecko as a pet.
Outside of science, most likely found: Baking, running, knitting, or spontaneously attending NYC events.
Hometown: Wuhan, China
Undergraduate students
Julian Wu
Undergraduate Student
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- I love freestyle skiing.
- I have a pet dog called Nathan.
- I love building custom mechanical keyboards.
Major: Chemical Engineering
Outside of science, most likely found: Playing the violin in an orchestra or chamber group
Hometown: Sydney, Australia
Ricardo Sanchez Cortes
Undergraduate Student
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- I have reread the Harry Potter series four times.
- I have a pet cat named Crystal.
- My favorite dessert is chocolate cake.
Major: Chemical Engineering
Outside of science, most likely found: On a walk listening to music
Hometown: Middleton, Wisconsin
Ruhani Nagda
Undergraduate Student
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- I love Star Wars movies.
- I love running marathons.
- I used to volunteer at an animal shelter.
Major: Cell and Molecular Biology (Barnard College)
Outside of science, most likely found: Doing yoga in the park
Hometown: Mumbai, India
YuriHana Sasamoto
Undergraduate Student
Two truths and one lie. Can you spot it?
- The beach is a 5-minute walk from my house.
- I collect retro video games.
- I have never been to Japan, but I’d love to go.
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Outside of science, most likely found: Reading a good book in the park
Hometown: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands