Research @ UVA Engineering

Dr. Gelfand graduated with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa (Iowa City). He next attended the University of Virginia (Charlottesville) where he earned his Ph.D. also in Biomedical Engineering. Brad next joined the Ambati Laboratory at the University of Kentucky in 2010 as a Postdoc and joined the faculty in 2012.

Gregory J. Gerling is a Professor of Systems Engineering at the University of Virginia, and principal investigator on grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, DARPA. His groups research the fields of haptics, computational neuroscience, human factors and ergonomics, biomechanics, and human–machine interaction.

Prof. Giri graduated from Chemical Engineering at Stanford University, working on the crystallization control of organic semiconductors for flexible electronic applications. His postdoctoral work focused on the use of microfluidics and continuous flow processing for pharmaceutical industry.

Our group focuses on the synthesis of well-defined nanoparticles, their dispersion into polymer solutions and melts, and their suspension rheology. With our fundamental studies, we seek to optimize processing to achieve a desirable microstructure in industrial suspensions, and to set a foundation for developing constitutive rheological models.

Donald Griffin improves clinical translation of acellular and cellular therapies through enhanced hydrogel-tissue integration, specifically focusing on the development of passive and active instructional microenvironments using microscale building blocks.

My lab uses molecular biomechanics and engineering design to better understand movement of single cells and to improve the treatment of human disease. We also study human learning and use that knowledge to improve the delivery of core courses in biomedical engineering.

Dr. Hartka is currently board certified in Emergency Medicine and works clinically in the Emergency Department. He is also involved in medical student education, resident education, biomechanical instrumentation, and motor vehicle collision analysis.

Brian Helmke researches the relationship between cell mechanics and cell function using new tools in materials science and molecular biology, with a focus on cardiovascular disease. His laboratory employs a multidisciplinary biomedical engineering approach to understand the relationship between intracellular mechanics and cell function.

Christopher Highley develops materials and fabrication technologies to enable the design and construction of complex cellular and material systems, with the goal of addressing fundamental and translational problems in biomedicine. 

Patrick E. Hopkins is a Whitney Stone Professor in Engineering at the University of Virginia, with a primary appointment in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and courtesy appointments in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Physics. He is also the director of the ExSiTE Lab.

John A. Hossack develops ultrasound imaging approaches for cardiovascular disease, including mouse heart imaging, catheter-based imaging and drug delivery, and molecular imaging for diagnosing stroke risk. He obtained B.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Strathclyde and his postdoc at Stanford University.