RESTEP program leadership and mentors

Program directors

Mentors and their research areas, expertise

Madeline Andrews, Assistant Professor, SBHSE
Developmental biology: Utilizes neural organoids, transplantation models and omics approaches to study human brain development and disease

David Brafman, Associate Professor, SBHSE
Developmental biology: Interdisciplinary approach that employs human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) as a model system in conjunction with various aspects of developmental biology, genetic engineering, and bioinformatics to address basic and translational questions related to neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disease

Albert Cheng, Associate Professor, SBHSE
Gene editing: Develops and applies technology based on engineered DNA and RNA binding proteins to edit and sense genome, epigenome and transcriptome for studying gene regulation and developing novel therapeutics

Heather Clark, Professor & Director, SBHSE
Molecular imaging: Interface of chemistry and biology to develop and apply novel nanoscale probes for biological measurements

Emma Frow, Associate Professor, SFIS/SBHSE
Policy and Ethics: Governance of emerging biotechnologies, with a specific focus on governance of/by the STEM research community

Jia Guo, Associate Professor
Molecular imaging: Development of single cell genomics and proteomics technologies with novel fluorescent probes, which will enable the systematic analysis of the identities, positions, and abundances of many different biological molecules in individual cells in structured tissues

Robin Harris, Assistant Professor, SoLS
Developmental biology: Research combines genetic, molecular, and imaging techniques to explore the fundamental and complex phenomenon of tissue regeneration

Julianne Holloway, Assistant Professor, SEMTE
Biomaterials and tissue engineering: Integrates biomaterial design with innovative manufacturing to control and direct stem cell behavior for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications

Ian Houge, Assistant Professor, SoLS & Biodesign
Disease modeling: Molecular and cell biology of viruses in the nervous system with focus on live-cell fluorescence microscopy, cryo electron microscopy structural biology, and primary neuron cell culture to study how alpha herpesviruses interact with the molecular and cell biology of neurons

Bertram Jacobs, Professor, SoLS & Biodesign
Disease modeling: Genetically engineered vaccinia as a vehicle against a number of infectious agents, bioterrorism threats, cancer, and other viruses, including HIV

Vikram Kodibagkar, Professor, SBHSE
Imaging: Cellular and molecular imaging of cancer and cell transplants, multimodality probe and reporter molecule development, MR oximetry, and magnetic resonance physics/technique development

Jeffrey Kordower, Professor & Director, SBHSE & ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center
Translational: The study of gene and stem cell therapies, disease pathogenesis including the morphological and molecular changes during neurodegeneration, learning and memory, and aging

Kenro Kusumi, Professor, SoLS & Dean, The College
Developmental biology: Leverages the power of genome biology to identify the developmental and molecular mechanisms regulating multi-tissue appendage regeneration in reptiles

Miyeko Mana, Assistant Professor, SoLS
Developmental biology: Intersection of stem cells, diet and cancer. Research focuses on how various diets — from high-fat to calorie restriction — impact stem cells and create vulnerabilities that can lead to transformations resulting in tumor initiation.

Mehdi Nikkhah, Associate Professor, SBHSE
Biomaterials and tissue engineering: Integration of micro- and nano-scale technologies, innovative biomaterials, and biology to better understand mechanisms of human disease progression and to develop regenerative medicine strategies for organ/tissue failure.

Christopher Plaisier, Assistant Professor, SBHSE
Bioinformatics and systems: Constructing gene regulatory networks from patient data to discover diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and identify novel drug targets.

Kaushal Rege, Professor, SEMTE
Biomaterials and tissue engineering: Developing biomaterials and nanomaterials for tissue repair and therapeutic delivery, including regeneration of intestines, colorectal tissue, and repair of skin injuries.

Sarah Stabenfeldt, Professor, SBHSE
Translational: Research spans nanoparticle delivery after brain injury, neural injury biomarker discovery, and neural tissue engineering/regenerative medicine.

Nicholas Stephanopoulos, Associate Professor, SMS & Biodesign
Biomaterials and tissue engineering: Self-assembling hybrid protein–DNA and peptide–DNA nanomaterials, focusing on the programmability of DNA nanotechnology through protein functionality and structural diversity, requiring site-specific biological conjugates.

Xiaojun Tian, Associate Professor, SBHSE
Bioinformatics and systems: Employing quantitative experiments and mathematical modeling to understand fundamental problems in systems and synthetic biology.

Kuei-Chun (Mark) Wang, Assistant Professor, SBHSE
Translational: Works at the interface of engineering and medicine, using integrated approaches to study how biophysical factors regulate vascular functions and to develop targeted nanotherapeutics for cardiovascular diseases.

Xiao Wang, Professor, SBHSE
Gene editing: Uses forward (synthetic biology) and reverse (systems biology) engineering approaches to understand biology.

Jessica Weaver, Assistant Professor, SBHSE
Translational: Integrates biomaterials, drug delivery, and tissue and immune engineering to develop functional, immune-protected tissue and cell grafts. Focuses on safe, translatable technologies with long-term efficacy to expand cell therapy applications without chronic immunosuppression.