Meet the Lab!
Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Andrés Muñoz-Rojas received his BS in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He did his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Yale University in the lab of Kathryn Miller-Jensen, where he studied macrophage polarization in vitro and in tumor microenvironments. He did his postdoctoral training in the Diane Mathis and Christophe Benoist lab in the Department of Immunology at Harvard Medical School. His postdoctoral work focused on the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in regulating tissue homeostasis and repair across multiple tissues.
Andrés R. Muñoz-Rojas, PhD
Post-doctoral Researchers
Akansha Singh
Research Scientist
Akansha Singh received her PhD from the National Institute of Immunology, India where her work focused on designing artificial tissue substitutes for regenerative medicine and organ repair. She subsequently completed her postdoctoral training at Oklahoma State University, where she specialized in cancer immunology and tumor microenvironment research. As a research track faculty member at UT Southwestern Medical Center, her work focused on immune-tumor interactions, inflammation, and tissue remodeling in cancer and chronic disease. Her research aims to understand how immune signaling, cellular senescence, and the tumor microenvironment regulate tissue fate, regeneration, and disease progression using in vivo models and spatial biology approaches.
PhD Students
Saika Afrin Sumona
Saika graduated from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology with a bachelor's in biomedical engineering. Her previous research focused on oral drug delivery, and she's now interested in tissue regeneration using regulatory T cells for therapeutic strategies in regenerative medicine. Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and dancing.
Esha Chopra
Esha graduated with a B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of Maryland, where she investigated the mechanobiology of endometriotic cell migration. She is interested in studying immunology, tissue regeneration, and bioinformatics to understand disease pathophysiology, particularly in women's health disorders. Her research is supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRFP) and Rensselaer Graduate Fellowship. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, crafting, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Masters Students
Aleksey Strekalov
Aleksey is from New Jersey and finished his bachelor's degree in Biomaterials Engineering at Alfred University. His research interest is the neuro-immune-materials interface, with the goal of helping large patient populations. Outside of RPI, he is an active EMT and enjoys hiking, photography, and spending time with his cat, Mr. Sherbert.
Pia Wilson
Pia Wilson is currently pursuing her masters degree in biomedical engineering, while also completing her senior year of her B.S in biomedical engineering through RPI’s co-terminal program. She is interested in research in the fields of immunology, women’s health, and biomaterials. In her free time, she enjoys dancing (and is also president of the RPI dance club) and going to rock concerts.
Tanish Roychowdhury
Tanish Roychowdhury a 1st year coterminal masters student studying biomedical engineering from East Brunswick, New Jersey. He plans to pursue a career in medical devices and tissue engineering. Outside of research, Tanish produces music, plays the drum set, and is working on building his film portfolio.
Undergraduate Students
Dillen Owusu
Dillen is Class of 2027 and a Biomedical Engineering major from Frederick, Maryland. One of the scientific projects he has worked on involves CRISPR/Cas9 generation of a TrkC.T1 mouse model with a v5 tag for in vivo expression. Another project he has worked on is evaluating the effectiveness of prevention strategies for Dengue and Malaria in the Batey.
Reese Bush
Reese Bush is a senior pursuing a Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Math. Her interests include immunology, tissue engineering, and biomaterials. In addition to her studies, Reese is concertmaster of the Rensselaer orchestra and a member of Engineering Ambassadors. As a Colorado native, she loves hiking, skiing, and mountain biking in her free time.
Akshaya Ajan
Akshaya Ajan is a current junior in the Physician-Scientist Program, majoring in biology with a minor in psychology, from San Jose, California. She is interested in research in the fields of immunotherapy and regenerative medicine and aims to pursue a career in medicine. In addition to academics, she is involved with RPI Rudras. In her free time, Akshaya loves to play badminton, sing, dance, and bake.
Alexis Wilkerson
Alexis is a senior biomedical engineering major interested in data science, bioimaging and instrumentation, and system modeling. She loves work that involves translating research to clinical application through computational analysis. Outside of academics she is about to be a class of 2027 representative and enjoys working out with her many siblings, attending church, and traveling with her partner. She is an upstate new York local so she hikes and trail runs in the Adirondacks a lot.
Lauren Lamberson
Lauren Lamberson is currently completing her senior year of her B.S in Biomedical Engineering, with a minor in Public Health. She is from Rochester, New York and interested in regenerative medicine, biomaterials and medical devices specifically related to women’s health. Lauren is also a member of Engineering Ambassadors, RPI’s Women’s Mentoring Program, Club Field Hockey, and Admissions Ambassadors. In her free time she enjoys skiing, camping, and traveling.
Lab Alumni
Margaret Li
Graduated Spring 2026 with an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering
Victoria Jadus
Graduated Spring 2026 with an M.Eng in Biomedical Engineering
Luci Rizor-Mossgrove
Graduated Spring 2026 with a B.S in Biomedical Engineering