Department of Chemical Engineering
339 Mugar Life Sciences
Dr. Ryan Koppes completed his undergraduate studies in Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. His interest for clinically-relevant research was initiated in an NSF-sponsored CO-OP in the biomechanics laboratory of Dr. Antoine van den Bogert at the Lerner Research Institute of the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Koppes contributed to kinetic and kinematic investigation of the mechanisms and risk factors of extremity injuries in athletes including anterior cruciate ligament and overuse throwing injuries.
Dr. Koppes received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (2013) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Under the mentorship of Professor David Corr, Dr. Koppes worked on incorporating biophysical cues such as mechanical strain and AC electrical stimulation through bioreactor design for improved tissue engineering of soft musculoskeletal tissue including muscle, tendon, and ligaments. In parallel, under the mentorship of Professor Douglas Swank, Dr. Koppes characterized and employed an experimental, genetically manipulable fruit fly muscle model to study contractile phenomena of mammalian skeletal muscle.
Dr. Koppes comes to Northeastern University from a Draper Labs and MIT’s Translational Fellowship supported postdoctoral research position in the Bioelectronics laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Under the supervision of Professor Polina Anikeeva in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Laboratory of Electronics, Dr. Koppes worked on the design and fabrication of thermally drawn nerve guidance channels and multifunctional neural probes as well as evaluating these devices in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, Dr. Koppes has utilized these flexible polymer-based neural probes for drug delivery, optical stimulation, and recording of extracellular neural activity in the spinal cord and the brain of optically sensitive mice. He has additionally worked to explore these devices as nerve guidance channels for repair as well as utilizing optogenetics to drive regeneration in neural tissue. At Northeastern, Dr. Koppes is continuing his work on polymeric neural interface technologies, with special interest in exploring neuromodulation of the autonomic nervous system for cardiac health and repair.
Graduate Students
Bill joined the LNNR in September 2018 as a Ph.D. student. His interests lie in bridging the prosthetics particularly in the physical interface between neurons and electronics.
Before joining the lab, Bill worked as a technical associate in the Love lab at MIT for two years researching small scale, on demand, biomanufacturing techniques. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2016.
Outside of the lab Bill plays the guitar, piano, and drums and likes to cheer on any and all of the New England sports teams.
Katelyn joined the lab in September 2019. Her research focuses on developing a tissue engineered scaffold for large gap peripheral nerve injuries. She is particularly interested in translational approaches for fabrication.
Prior to joining the lab, Katelyn graduated from Stony Brook University with her BE in Biomedical Engineering in May 2019. At Stony Brook, she conducted research under Dr. David Rubenstein focusing on scaffold fabrication methods, such as electrospinning and 3D printing. She also interned at Centre ValBio in Madagascar, Mosquitoes Be Gone, LLC. in Stony Brook, NY, and Chembio Diagnostics Systems in Medford, NY gaining experience in commercialization and manufacturing.
Outside of lab, Katelyn likes to play soccer, try out all the different coffee shops in Boston, and use her paddleboard.
Kyla Nichols
nichols.ky@northeastern.edu
Kyla joined LNNR in the fall of 2019 as a Chemical Engineering PhD student. Her research is focused on integrating electronics into microphysiological systems to directly measure cellular activity, specifically relating to modeling visceral pain.
Prior to starting graduate school at Northeastern University, Kyla was working at GE Healthcare Life Sciences in the Upstream Product Management and Operations Department. Kyla completed her BS in Biomedical engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) the spring of 2017. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in an NSF funded Research Experience for Undergraduates at Syracuse University’s Biomaterials Institute which inspired her interest in research.
Outside of lab, Kyla enjoys attending concerts, playing video games, drinking matcha lattes, and roller skating.
Justin Hayes
hayes.ju@northeastern.edu
Justin joined the lab in September 2020. His research focuses on developing in vitro models of the human gut to study how microbial metabolites effect the host. He is particularly interested in launching a start-up company in this research area.Justin graduated from University of Rhode Island in 2020 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and B.A. in Spanish. His undergraduate research spanned from cancer treatment to developing water purification devices. He spent one year in Spain studying the language, interning at a Spanish car manufacturer, and traveling Europe.In his free time, Justin enjoys spending time with friends and family, skiing, traveling, and reading.
Bryan Schellberg
schellberg.br@northeastern.edu
Bryan joined the lab in Fall 2021. His research is focused on the technical development of organ-on-a-chip devices for real-time monitoring and modulation of cell culture conditions.
Before joining the lab, he graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester in Spring 2021. At Rochester, he participated in a summer NSF – REU which spurred his interest in research.
Outside of lab, he like to try cooking new recipes, finding new plants to add to his collection, and exploring hiking trails.
Selina Banerjee
banerjee.se@northeastern.edu
Selina joined the lab in September 2021 as a Chemical Engineering PhD student. Her research focuses on developing a nerve-artery microphysiological system to better understand vascular graft integration and cardiovascular disease pathology.
Prior to joining LNNR, Selina graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering in May 2021. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted research on vascular mechanobiology at Dr. Eno Ebong’s lab at Northeastern. She also gained experience with neurobiology research and upstream assay development during her co-op at Skyhawk Therapeutics.
Outside of the lab, Selina loves singing, photography, hiking, and going to local coffee shops.
Undergraduate Students Current and Alumni