Graduate Students

Patrick Muljadi

6th Year PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering

Email: pmm263@cornell.edu
Twitter: @patrick_muljadi
Education
M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, 2018
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 2015

Research

Tendinopathies result from fatigue damage accumulation that ultimately can lead to tendon rupture. Although physiological loading plays a key role in tendon homeostasis, mechanistic data on the effects of fatigue damage on tissue function and mechanotransduction remains limited. Using both multiscale mechanical testing methods and our lab’s established in vivo model of sub-rupture fatigue damage, my research aims to elucidate how established hallmarks of tendon fatigue damage and recovery alter the cell micromechanical environment driving degeneration and remodeling.

Personal Biography

Patrick grew up in Golden, CO and enjoys hiking, camping, road tripping and trying new restaurants. As a member of the Cornell Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) he served as Treasurer and is involved with K-12 outreach. Patrick also teaches a backpacking and camping class through Cornell Outdoor Education and facilitates an English Language Support Office (ELSO) Speaking Group.

 

Monideepa (Moni) Chatterjee

6th Year PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering

NSF GRFP Fellow

Email: mc2629@cornell.edu

Twitter: @Moni_Chatterjee

Education

M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, 2019

Honors Degree in Biomedical Engineering with Distinction, University of Delaware, 2016

Research

Tendons of the rotator cuff are commonly injured, but current treatments are limited due to limited understanding of disease progression. My research investigates the disease progression and mechanobiology of acute and chronic rotator cuff injuries using a mouse model. Specifically, I study the cell-matrix attachments at the cellular and tissue level to promote rotator cuff healing.

Personal Biography

I am from Wilmington, DE. After serving as the Outreach Co-Chair for BMES in 2017, I still enjoy leading outreach initiatives such as Girl Scout Engineering and Expanding Your Horizons. I am also a Graduate Student Coordinator for the College’s Diversity Programs in Engineering and a Peer Editor for NPR’s FOJBI program. Outside of campus, I enjoy exploring Ithaca’s gorges, sailing on Cayuga Lake, petting puppies and trying new restaurants.

 

Jason Marvin Chang (Jason C. Marvin)

5th Year PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering

NSF GRFP Fellow

Email: jmc722@cornell.edu
Personal Website: https://www.jasoncmarvin.com/
Twitter: @JasonCMarvin
Curriculum Vitae

Education

M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, 2019
B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas, 2017

Research

Injured tendons heal by forming fibrotic scar tissue (‘scar-mediated healing’) which results in impaired biomechanical properties and increased risk of re-injury. A major hurdle to the development of tissue engineering approaches and therapeutics for restoring function in injured tendons is that the biological mechanisms underlying tendon healing are unknown. However, the regenerative capacity across multiple tissue types in the Murphy Roths Large (MRL/MpJ) mouse strain has identified it as a promising model to study scarless tendon healing. My research investigates the utility of the MRL/MpJ extracellular matrix (ECM) to promote scarless tendon healing in typically scar-mediated environments.

Personal Biography

Jason (he/him/his) is originally from Dallas, Texas. Outside of the lab, Jason serves as a Graduate Resident Fellow (GRF) in the West Campus Housing System, a Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) Graduate Teaching Fellow, and organizer for ComSciCon-ScienceWriters 2019. He also participates in several mentoring and K-12 STEM outreach programs at Cornell. In his free time, Jason enjoys cooking (and eating) new cuisines, playing with dogs, good coffee and discussing current events.

 

Marguerite Pacheco

3rd Year PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering

Cornell Dean’s Scholar & Sloan UCEM Affiliate

NSF GRFP Fellow

Email: map476@cornell.edu

Education

B.A. in Biochemistry; Engineering, Smith College 2019

Research

Tendinopathies are debilitating injuries and we have a very poor mechanistic understanding of the pathogenesis and healing of this injury. I research the underlying mechanism of healing with the intent to optimize this function for therapeutic applications.

Personal Biography

Marguerite is from Montclair, NJ and enjoys playing soccer, dancing, and reading in her free time. She is actively involved in the Latinx Graduate Student Coalition, QGrads, and BMES outreach activities such as Girl Scout Engineering Day (GSED) and the Graduate Student School Outreach Program (GRASSHOPR).

 

Erin Maloney

3rd Year PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering

Email: eem95@cornell.edu

Twitter: @Erin_E_Maloney

Education

B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, 2019

Research

Tendinopathies are common musculoskeletal injuries that occur in response to ongoing sub-rupture fatigue which can ultimately lead to tendon rupture. Through my research, I aim to understand how cells in the tendon microenvironment interact with the extracellular matrix to promote repair of the patellar tendon.

Personal Biography

Erin (she/her/hers) is from the Albany, NY area. Outside of the lab, she is involved in a variety of outreach activities such as Family Science Nights through the Ithaca Sciencenter, Girl Scout Engineering Day (GSED), and the Graduate Student School Outreach Program (GRASSHOPR). She is also a part of the leadership of the Biomedical Engineering Women’s group on campus. In her free time, Erin enjoys trying new recipes, binge-watching tv shows, playing video games, and salsa dancing.

 

Lainie Eisner

2nd Year PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering

HSS-Cornell T32 Combined Engineering and Orthopaedics Training Grant

Email: lee45@cornell.edu

Twitter: @EisnerLainie

Education

B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2020

Research

I am interested in understanding how tendon fatigue injury and repair affect cell and matrix mechanics, as well as the role of various extracellular matrix constituents in governing the observed mechanical behavior.

Personal Biography

Lainie (she/her/hers) is originally from Livingston, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. She is currently serving as a mentor for high school students as a part of the New Visions Engineering program and as Community Engagement Co-Chair for the Graduate Biomedical Engineering Society. When not in lab, Lainie enjoys going to the theatre, watching sports, practicing yoga, and learning to play guitar.