Announcements
Picture of the Month – April 2012 April 6th, 2012
Isotropic cardiac myocyte monolayer stained for actin (red), beta-catenin (white), and nuclear DNA (blue). Image by Megan McCain, Parker lab.
Congrats to Kartik Balachandran! March 14th, 2012
Kartik Balachandran has been awarded the Postdoctoral Fellow Best Abstract Award by the Association of Scientists of Indian Origin Special Interest Group of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) at the SOT Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA. This competitive award was based on a submitted abstract and a cover letter outlining the significance of his research. The award includes a plaque and monetary award of $500. Congratulations, Kartik!!
Congrats to Josh Goss!! March 5th, 2012
Josh Goss is one of the winners of the first Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean’s Excellence Award. Josh is the senior instrumentation engineer and staff scientists in the Disease Biophysics Group, designing and prototyping all of our experimental systems from microfluidic systems for organs on chips to blast bioreactors for brain injury research. Congratulations, Josh!! Thanks for all of your hard work!!
Picture of the Month – February 2012 February 24th, 2012
Micropatterned mouse ventricular muscle cells assembled into an anisotropic tissue showing nuclei (pink) and organized sarcomeres (orange). This organization recapitulates features of the native architecture of cardiac tissue. Image by Anna Grosberg, Parker lab.
Postdoctoral Positions in the DBG February 19th, 2012
We have several postdoctoral positions opening now and in the coming months. We are especially interested in candidates with backgrounds in theoretical biomechanics who are interested in conducting bench experiments. These positions will focus on our efforts to recapitulate organ-level function on chips for drug discovery and safety pharmacology.
All of these positions require a doctoral degree in an appropriate field and a demonstrated publication record. Applications in the form of a single PDF file containing a cover letter, resume, and up to three examples of first author papers should be forwarded to Prof Parker (kkparker@seas.harvard.edu). A list of references should be submitted with the resume with contact information.
Congratulations to Dr. Hyungsuk Lee!! January 27th, 2012
Congratulations to Dr. Hyungsuk Lee who has accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Yonsei University in Korea. Congratulations Hyungsuk!!
Picture of the Month – January 2012 January 12th, 2012
Micropatterned ventricular muscle cells from a mouse illustrated various stages of cell spreading on a soft hydrogel that mimics the microenvironment of cardiac tissue. The phases of the moon inspired the design. Image by Yvonne Aratyn and Sean Sheehy, Parker lab.
Congrats to Dr. Anna Grosberg et al!! November 23rd, 2011
Congratulations to Anna Grosberg, Pat Alford, Megan McCain, and Kit Parker for an outstanding image from their recent publication entitled “Ensembles of engineered cardiac tissues for physiological and pharmacological study: Heart on a chip” in Lab Chip, 2011, 11(24), 4165 – 4173. The image was selected as the journal cover page. Great job all!
Congrats to Professor Pat Alford et al!! November 17th, 2011
Congratulations to Pat Alford, Peyton Nesmith, Johannes Seywerd, Anya Grosberg, and Kit Parker for an outstanding image from their recent publication entitled “Vascular smooth muscle contractility depends on cell shape” in Integrative Biology, 2011, 3(11), 1063-1070. The image was selected as the journal cover page. Great job all!
Postdoctoral Positions in the DBG October 14th, 2011
We have several open postdoctoral positions in neuroscience/neuroengineering and marine biomechanics:
1. Neuroscience/neuroengineering: We are building small brain pieces for drug discovery and safety pharmacology, as well as to test our own theories about information processing in the brain. Our primary interest is building a 1 mm^3 amygdala.
2. Marine biomechanics: We are interested in uncovering the design laws, conserved across species, of muscular pumps. This includes marine organisms such as cephalopods and jellyfish. Correlating muscular architecture to hydrodynamic performance is the primary objective of these studies.
All of these positions require a doctoral degree in an appropriate field and a demonstrated publication record in the field. Applications in the form of a single PDF file containing a cover letter, resume, and up to three examples of first author papers should be forwarded to Prof Parker (kkparker@seas.harvard.edu). A list of references should be submitted with the resume with contact information. Please state “Postdoctoral Applicant – X” in the subject line, where X is either neuroscience/neuroengineering or marine biomechanics as appropriate.
Prospective Graduate Student Applicants to SEAS September 23rd, 2011
We are receiving many inquiries about PhD studies in the DBG during this admissions season. I cannot respond to all email inquiries, but let me list the traits of successful applicants to our lab to better inform candidates about their chances:
A. All the applicants have good grades, but at SEAS you probably need to have a GPA >3.5 to be competitive
B. Successful applicants usually have 2+ years of research experience and their name on an abstract or paper. For applicants with industrial experience, the applications are looked at a bit differently
C. Generally, the typical BME curriculum is not adequate preparation for graduate studies in engineering at Harvard. Extensive coursework in mathematics, mechanics (fluid and solid), and control theory is looked upon favorably.
D. Your application to Harvard should state specifically which laboratories you are interested in working in, listed by name of the PI. Its the only way to make sure your application is reviewed by a PI. Listing by subject area doesn’t really help us sort thru all the applications we get.
I hope this helps and good luck in your applications!
Prof Parker
Welcome Summer REU Students! July 19th, 2011
The DBG proudly welcomes the 2011 crop of summer Research Experience for Undergraduate students! Abby Washispack from the University of Arkansas is working on cardiac tissue engineering, Sergio Ortuno from Texas A & M is working on superaligned nanofibers, Alex Cho from Bunker Hill Community College is working on microfluidics, Chris Rondinelli and Kevin Murphy from Harvard are working on traumatic brain injury, and Aaron Macedonia from Ursinus College is working on developing an in vitro assay for Alzheimer’s disease. Welcome all!
Congrats to Dr. Anna Grosberg!! May 29th, 2011
Congratulations to Dr. Anna Grosberg who has accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Anna will start there in April 2012. Congratulations Anna!!
Neurophysiology Postdoctoral Positions Available May 24th, 2011
The Disease Biophysics Group at Harvard currently has postdoctoral positions open for candidates with doctoral degrees and experience in cellular neuroscience. Candidates should have demonstrated publication records in the fields of patch clamp recording, molecular neuroscience, or integrin signaling during axonal pathfinding. Candidates should send cover letter, resume, and three example first author publications as a single PDF directly to Professor Parker. Because of the volume of responses, applications in other formats will not be considered.
Congratulations to Dr. Anna Grosberg!! March 14th, 2011
Dr. Anna Grosberg added to her accolades at the Society of Toxicology meeting in Washington DC this month with two more awards recognizing her “Heart on a Chip” technology. In the first award, she took 1st place in the In Vitro and Alternative Methods Specialty Section, winning the ”MB Research Award For Distinction in Practical In Vitro and Alternative Toxicology Methods.” In the second competition, she won 2nd place in the Annual Student/Postdoctoral competition from the In Vitro and Alternative Toxicology Methods Specialty Section. Congratulations Dr. Grosberg!!
Congrats to Professor Pat Alford!! February 22nd, 2011
Congratulations to Pat Alford who has accepted a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Pat departed the DBG for Minnesota in December 2011 to start his laboratory and teach. Congratulations Professor Alford!
Congrats to Dr. Anna Grosberg!! February 22nd, 2011
Anna Grosberg has been awarded a Young Investigator Travel Award by the Regulatory and Safety Evaluation Specialty Section (RSESS) of the Society of Toxicology. This was a competitive award based on abstract submission and letters of recommendation. At the Society of Toxocology conference in March in Washington, D.C., Anya will present her ‘Heart on a Chip’ work. Congratulations Anna!
Welcome Dr. Sung Jin Park!! January 23rd, 2011
The DBG welcomes Dr. Sung Jin Park as a postdoctoral fellow! Sung Jin completed his doctoral studies in engineering in Professor Beth Pruitt’s lab at Stanford University in 2010. Welcome Sung Jin!!
Welcome to 4 New DBGers!! November 1st, 2010
The DBG proudly welcomes new members of the group today: Dr. Ashutosh Agarwal joins us from Prof Henry Hess’s group at Columbia University, Dr. Yvonne Aratyn joins us from Prof Margaret Gardel’s group at the University of Chicago, and Dr. Xing (John) Zhang joins us from Prof Yogesh Vohra’s group at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. We also welcome today Yohan Farouz, a visiting graduate student from Ecole Polytechnique in Palaiseau, France. Welcome all!!
DBG Rocked Austin, BMES, and the Austin City Limits Music Festival!! October 12th, 2010
DBGers recently traveled to Austin, Texas to present their findings (12 oral and poster presentations) at the Biomedical Engineering Society meeting. Science, catching live tunes at the ACL music festival, and meatpalooza at Salt Lick’s BarbeQue in Driftwood, Texas marked a long weekend of fun and travel. Congratulations to DBGers Drs Hongwei Jun, Anya Grosberg, and Pat Alford and graduate student Megan McCain (2!) who were selected for oral presentations. Great job all!
