Aniket Ingrole – Post-Doctoral Fellow
Aniket is a Postdoctoral Research Associate, his research focuses on structure-material relationship of naturally found bio-structures, studying their microscopic mechanisms and deformations along with bio-inspired additive manufacturing. He completed his PhD in the Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Department at Florida State University. His research concentrated on bio-inspired structures and auxetic structures that can be used for energy absorption applications for helmets, shoes, vehicles, and military applications.
Sam Wojda – Lecturer
Sam has a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Michigan Tech and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University. She has studied bone mechanics and histomorphometry in hibernating bears and rodents. She is currently a co-investigator on bone tissue engineering projects for repairing large bone defects.
Emily Mulawa – PhD Student
Emily received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Missouri University of Science and Technology, in May 2016. Directly after, she began her PhD studies at Colorado State University, investigating the endocannabinoid system as a possible mechanism hibernators use to mitigate bone loss with inactivity. In June 2018, Emily transitioned with the lab to UMass Amherst, to continue her PhD studies in the Biomedical Engineering program. Emily is currently studying the efficacy of serum endocannabinoid concentrations as a biomarker of osteoporosis.
Luca Fuller – PhD Student
I received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2017. I am a second year PhD student studying how bighorn sheep horns absorb impact energy to prevent injury during ramming bouts. My research focuses on the biological materials of the horn, aiming to eventually use biomimicry to develop novel materials and designs for impact structures such as football helmets and car bumpers.
Trevor Aguirre– PhD Student
Trevor began his PhD in Fall 2017 after completing a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University. Previously he studied mechanical properties of engineering ceramics and is currently using finite element models to investigate mechanically adapted bone morphologies for use in various engineering applications. He is specifically using bio-inspired design to improve the impact performance of running shoes and helmets by looking at the bighorn sheep horncore architecture. In his free time he enjoys hiking, skiing, Doctor Who, and walks to the fridge to get another Rainier.
Cole Ferreira – PhD Student
Cole graduated from The University of Rhode Island in May 2019 with a BS in Chemical Engineering concentrating in Pharmaceuticals and Business. During his undergraduate career he worked in the University’s Pharmaceutical Engineering Lab where he developed and characterized nanoparticles for pulmonary drug delivery and had an internship developing solid and foam Urethane products. He started his PhD in June 2019 where his research focuses on bone regeneration in large bone defects. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, watching sports and going to concerts.
Jasmine Bogle – Undergraduate
Jasmine is an undergraduate pursuing her degree in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics at UMass and an interest in tissue engineering. After spending her first semester learning the lab techniques required for cell cultures, she is looking forward to applying the knowledge she’s obtained thus far to begin working with the Donahue Lab group and their ongoing research. Outside of the classroom she enjoys shopping, taking walks, and seeing new places.
Emma Gilmore – Undergraduate
Emma is an undergraduate studying Biomedical Engineering at UMass with an interest in biomechanics. She spent the past summer interning at a microbiome therapeutics startup and has broad experience with human microbe culturing. She is excited to be a part of the Donahue Lab and assist in ongoing research projects.
Evan Dempsey – Undergraduate
Evan is an undergraduate studying Biomedical Engineering at UMass with an interest in oncology. He spent the past summer interning at a nonprofit charity in Springfield Massachusetts called Regreen and has broad experience cell culturing and protein analysis. Evan is excited to be a part of the Donahue lab and assist in the ongoing research. In his spare time, he enjoys all things sports and traveling.
Aladdin Mohammed – 
Undergraduate
Aladdin is an undergraduate studying Biomedical Engineering at UMass with an interest in regenerative medicine. Aladdin is excited to apply everything he learned in the classroom into a lab setting. In his spare time he enjoys basketball, photography, and collecting sneakers.