Ph.D. Students
Timothy Boyer
Tim is from Leesburg, VA. He is interested in increasing the safety and availability of therapeutics with drug delivery systems. His research involves combining cationic peptides with therapeutic agents for cartilage targeting to prevent osteoarthritis. He loves to snowboard, fish, and make hot sauce!
Ph.D. Candidate BioE | boyer.t[at]northeastern.edu
Tanvi Pathrikar
Tanvi’s research revolves around exosome therapy for cartilage repair in osteoarthritis. Her thesis work specifically delves into the surface modification of exosomes, harnessing electrostatic interactions for the targeted delivery of proteins and nucleic acids. In her free time, she enjoys baking, cooking, traveling and reading books!
Ph.D. Candidate BioE | pathrikar.t[at]northeastern.edu
Hengli Zhang
Hengli is from Chongqing, China. His research focuses on the development of engineered exosomes designed to improve the efficiency of oral drug administration. This includes creating more stable and permeable systems suitable for the gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, Hengli is engaged in designing polymeric microparticles that act as carriers for drugs, aiming for long-term pain relief and osteoarthritis treatment. Outside of his professional interests, Hengli is an avid supporter of Manchester United. In his leisure time, he enjoys watching dramas, playing video games, and spending relaxing moments with his cat, Nature.
Ph.D. Candidate BioE | zhang.hengli[at]northeastern.edu
Bill Hakim
Bill is from West Sumatra, Indonesia. His research interests are drug delivery for cartilage repair in osteoarthritis using cationic peptides and cartilage electromechanics. He spends his free time by running and visiting every used book store in Boston!
Ph.D. Candidate BioE | hakim.bi[at]northeastern.edu
Helna Mary
Helna is from Kerala, India. Her research interests focus on designing biomaterials for long-acting drug delivery that combat tissue-specific challenges and enhance bioavailability. Her thesis is centered around engineering charge-based polymeric and exosome carriers for targeted delivery of proteins and genes to negatively charged tissues such as cartilage and nucleus pulposus. In her spare time, Helna enjoys playing the violin, sketching, and cooking.
Ph.D. Candidate BioE | baby.h[at]northeastern.edu
Hector Cotto
Héctor is working on modifying exosome drug carriers for non-invasive tissue targeted treatment of posterior eye diseases. In his spare time, he likes to read, play boardgames, and spoil his cat, Winston.
Ph.D. Candidate BioE | millancotto.h[at]northeastern.edu
Andrew Selvadoss
Andrew is interested in exosome mediated drug delivery to cartilage for osteoarthritis. In his free time, Andrew is into photography, and loves to play guitar and piano!
Ph.D. Candidate ChemE | selvadoss.a[at]northeastern.edu
Natasha Heath
Natasha received her Master’s in Immunology and Microbiology from Thomas Jefferson University focusing on investigating the importance of individual IFNα genes and their contribution in curbing viral infection. Following completion of her Master’s, she joined GSK as a Senior Scientist in their Immunology Research Unit working primarily on identifying biological targets for treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Beyond the lab, she enjoys hiking, spending quality time with friends and family, relaxing with her large dog, and playing piano!
Industrial Ph.D. Student BioE | heath.na[at]northeastern.edu
Masters Students
- Shreya Srinivasan – srinivasan.shreya[at]northeastern.edu
Undergraduate Students
- Olivia Chao – chao.o[at]northeastern.edu
- Salima Amiji – amiji.s[at]northeastern.edu
- Hannah Libelo – libelo.h[at]northeastern.edu