People

Debora holds a degree in Pharmacy and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Originally from a region endemic for Chagas disease, Debora has valuable insight into parasitic infections such as Trypanosoma cruzi. Her research focuses on the design, characterization, and preclinical evaluation of nanocarriers to improve the delivery and efficacy of therapeutic compounds. Debora leads preclinical studies for Chagas disease and actively fosters interdisciplinary and international collaborations. She is also dedicated to mentoring students and junior researchers, contributing to the advancement of science through both innovation and education.

He obtained his Ph.D. from Peking Union Medical College in Microbiology-pharmacy and M.S. from ShenYang Pharmaceutical University. Animal models of TD1M related of long-term complications, inflammation and immune-regulation diseases, and cancers are studied refine the application of nanoparticles more in therapeutic diagnostics applications, diseases presentments and targeted drug delivery system. He also had many years’ experience of by using different methods delivery CRISPR/Cas9 reagents to mice zygote to make knock-in/out or point mutation mice. He likes go to the gym to swim after work.

Sajjad is a Research Scientist at the University of Virginia, studying the development of polymeric nanomaterials for controlled delivery of therapeutics in Prof. Evan Scott’s group. He performed his postdoctoral research with Prof. Erin Stache at Princeton University, where he developed new strategies in radical transformations by transition metal catalysis. He received his PhD in Chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University with Prof. Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, studying externally controlled radical polymerization. His research is at the interface of polymer chemistry, catalysis, and biotechnology, aiming to engineer advanced functional materials to address emerging challenges in human health.

Ershuai Zhang is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia. He received his PhD in Biochemical Engineering from Tianjin University and performed his postdoctoral research at Wayne State University, where he later served as a Senior Research Scientist. His research focuses on the design and synthesis of functional biomaterials for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and cell transplantation. His work integrates polymer chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology with in vitro and in vivo models, including large-animal studies, to develop translational biomaterial platforms for therapeutic applications and challenging diseases.

Bio coming soon, stay tuned!

Natalie earned her B.S. in biomedical engineering and a minor in mechanical engineering and then worked for 2 years in early-phase drug discovery. Her work centers on applying tolerogenic nanoparticles towards delaying the onset of type 1 diabetes. She is mentored by Scott Lab alum Jacqueline Burke at the Tolerance Lab. 

El Hadji is a Bachelor of Science graduate in Biomedical Engineering at Brown University. He is  interested in research about drug delivery, immunoengineering and nanotechnology. He is mentored by Scott Lab alum Jacqueline Burke at the Tolerance Lab. 

Natalia Mendonca earned her BS in Biomedical Engineering from The Ohio State University. She is an NSF GRFP recipient. Her work centers on targeted gene delivery for the treatment of glaucoma. She is co-advised by Mark Johnson.

Sofi has previously focused on nanoencapsulation of hydrophobic compounds and the mathematical modeling of particle size using ultrasound processing at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. Her current research interests are in the areas of targeted drug delivery and regenerative medicine for glaucoma. She is co-advised by Mark Johnson.

Bobby earned a BS in Biology from Illinois Wesleyan University and an MS in biotechnology from Northwestern University. Co-advised by Dr. Scott and Dr. Lisa Volpatti, he has been developing novel polymers for systemic delivery of various nucleic acids.

Micah Hunter-Chang began his doctoral training in 2025 under the supervision of Dr. Evan Scott and Dr. Jie Sun at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on leveraging nanoparticles for the targeted co-delivery of peptide and mRNA vaccines with immunotherapies for cancer treatment and lung disease. In his (very sparse) free time, Micah enjoys cooking fresh pasta, playing ultimate frisbee, running dungeons and dragons games with his friends, and playing in string quartets and orchestras around Charlottesville and Richmond