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Meet Our Team

Santiago Correa

Principal Investigator

Santiago Correa

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Prof. Correa heads the Nanoscale Immunoengineering Lab. His research interests lie in developing biomaterials and nanotechnology for reprogramming the immune system.

Robert Hincapie

Postdoc

Robert Hincapie

Programmable self-assembling materials; protein chemistry and bioconjugation; glycans in immunology

Born in New York, Robert has been slowly making his way back up north. He did his Ph.D with M.G. Finn at Georgia Tech, where he worked on developing protein nanoparticle glycoconjugates for immunotherapy. He joined the Correa lab to further explore the role of glycans and self-assembling materials to precisely direct immune responses.

Artemis Margaronis

Ph.D. Candidate

Artemis Margaronis

Designing bioactive extracellular vesicle hydrogels for immunomodulation and tissue regeneration

Originally from Athens, Greece, Artemis spent the second half of her life in Bethsda, MD. In the Correa Lab, Artemis is exploring how extracellular vesicles can be used to formulate bioactive hydrogels that modulate immune responses and promote tissue regeneration. Outside of research she enjoys FaceTiming her dog, Millie, yoga classes, long walks, and beach trips.

James Wang

Ph.D. Candidate

James Wang

Lipid-based nanoparticle and hydrogel platforms for in situ immune cell transfection

Guided by immunobiology fundamentals, James seeks to improve nucleic acid transfection of immune cells. He is exploring targeted transfection through protein decoration of lipid-based nanoparticles and localized transfection through hydrogel incorporation. In his free time James enjoys lounging with his cat, cooking, and Costco.

Ryan R. Hosn

Ph.D. Candidate

Ryan R. Hosn

Engineering injectable hydrogels for the induction of immune niches

Raised in Gambia to a Lebanese family, Ryan completed his education in Spain. Fascinated by the intricacies of the human body and driven by a desire to build tools, he pursued a bachelor's and master's in bioengineering. After two and a half years as a research technician in Dr. Darrel Irvine's lab at MIT, Ryan is now applying the skills he has acquired over the years to modulate the immune system in immune-related diseases.

Sarah Bortel

Ph.D. Candidate

Sarah Bortel

Harnessing biomaterials to reprogram "cold" tumor microenvironments

Sarah engineers bioactive materials that localize and potentiate immune signals to overcome the barriers of treatment-resistant tumors such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Her work aims to improve the potency, durability, and efficacy of next-generation immunotherapies. Outside the lab, Sarah teaches bioengineering through Columbia's Science Honors Program and ceramics at Uptown Clay.

Satya Nayagam

Co-advised Ph.D. Candidate

Satya Nayagam

Engineering EV biomaterials for immune stimulation

With a background in formulation and materials characterization, Satya is passionate about developing extracellular vesicle and nanoparticle-based biomaterials that stimulate the immune system. He completed his undergraduate training at Princeton and is currently co-advised by Dr. Kam Leong. Outside of lab, he enjoys traveling and flying small planes above the cornfields of his native Ohio.

Oriana Marrone

Co-advised Ph.D. Student

Oriana Marrone

Single-cell genomics-guided design of immunomodulatory biomaterials

Born and raised in Venezuela, Oriana moved to Miami, FL to pursue her B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering. During her M.S. research work, Oriana got really interested in biomaterials for immunomodulation in hydrogels. She now hopes to integrate her expertise in biomaterials with single-cell genomic tools to help her better design systems that elicit specific immune responses.

Monica Mendoza

Ph.D Student

Monica Mendoza

Designing nanotechnology platforms for cancer therapy

Monica is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow currently working on approaches to stimulate T cells and next-generation cancer therapies. She completed her B.S. in Bioengineering at UC Berkeley. Before graduate school, she held roles in tech leadership and nonprofits. She’s passionate about solutions that expand access to scientific knowledge and advanced therapies for patients excluded by language, geography, or cost.

Ezra Gordon

Ph.D Student

Ezra Gordon

Material design for targeted delivery of cancer immunotherapies

Ezra was born and raised in Boston, and completed his Bachelor's at MIT in Biological-Chemical Engineering. He conducted research in Prof. Paula Hammond's lab focused on immunotherapy delivery. As part of Columbia's MSTP, he hopes to approach oncology from both a clinical and a drug delivery/biomaterials perspective.

Sharon Li

Co-advised Ph.D Student

Sharon Li

Engineering nanoparticles and hydrogels for targeted immunotherapy

Sharon completed her bachelor’s degree in Cell Biosciences at UCL. Her research focuses on encapsulating immune cell–derived extracellular vesicles into hydrogels and engineering lipid nanoparticles to enhance CAR-phagocyte function for immunotherapeutic applications. Outside the lab, Sharon enjoys hiking, skiing, traveling, and spending time with friends.

Irene Kim

M.S. Student

Irene Kim

Designing lipid nanoparticles and hydrogels for enhanced immunotherapy

Irene earned her B.S. in Bio and Brain Engineering from KAIST, South Korea. With experiences in lipid nanoparticle formulation and lab-on-a-chip systems for drug screening, she is interested in engineering biomaterial platforms integrating nanoparticles and hydrogels for localized immunotherapies. Outside of lab, Irene enjoys exploring the city and going to musical performances.

Michal Merav

M.S. Student

Michal Merav

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Born and raised in Brooklyn, Michal uses her unique background in Biochemistry and Studio Art to develop immune-modulating hydrogels for injectable therapeutics. As a Columbia-CUNY Pathways Fellow, she aims to leverage her creativity to design cell-interfacing biomaterials that expand the knowledge of immune modulation and ultimately improve public health outcomes.

Jennifer Gamboa

M.S. Student

Jennifer Gamboa

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Jennifer earned a B.S. in Nanotechnology Eng. from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Colombia, where she developed nanomaterials for colon cancer. Fascinated by nanomaterials, she joined the Nanoscale Immunoengineering Lab, researching hydrogel-based platforms to modulate immune interactions in cancer and autoimmunity. Outside the lab, she enjoys baking and painting.

Yara Aguilar

Undergraduate Researcher

Yara Aguilar

Analysis of EV stability for bifunctionality in supramolecular hydrogels

During high school, Yara explored tissue engineering, materials science, and chemical engineering labs, where she discovered her passion for biomaterials. Today, as a second-year biomedical engineering student, she studies how extracellular vesicles can be used in hydrogels. On campus, she serves as Co-Chair of Student Life in BMES, and in her free time, she loves crocheting and animating.

Claire Wu

Undergraduate Researcher

Claire Wu

Optimizing injectable hydrogels for targeted immune responses

Claire is a first-year engineering student enthusiastic about developing technologies to improve human health as a surgeon. Curious about the role of biomaterials in immunotherapies, she is studying the impact of various hydrogel designs on the immune response, eager to continue learning following her research with Dr. Di Lang at UCSF. Outside the lab, Claire loves dancing ballet and cross-country road trips.

Lab Alumni

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Daniella Uvaldo

Analyst, Windrose Consulting Group

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Anthony Ayala

M.S. student, Duke University

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Jeremy Cheng

Naval Engineer in Seattle, WA

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Shawn Meng

M.S. student, Columbia University

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Alexandra Cochon

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Ethan Kriss

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Nastexo Nur

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Mackenzie Wright

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