People
Principal investigator
E(Sarah) Du, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering
Email: edu@fau.edu
Biography: Dr. Sarah Du joined FAU as Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 2014, was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2019. Prior to joining FAU, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Nanomechanics Lab at MIT (2011 – 2014), during which she researched on cell biomechanics and biorheology in sickle cell disease and malaria under supervision of Profs. Subra Suresh and Ming Dao. She earned her PhD in Mechanical Engineering with Prof. Souran Manoochehri and awarded the James Henry Porter Award for Outstanding Performance in Doctorate Program from Stevens Institute of Technology. Her current research is focused on biosensors and microfluidics for the study of cell biomechanics and biophysics, crossing disciplines by utilizing microfabrication, biosensing techniques, soft matter mechanics, biomaterials, and cell biology. Her lab develops novel point-of-care diagnostics and analytical assays for blood diseases. Dr. Du received the recognition of mHealth Scholar from the NIH mHealth Training Institute (2015), Researcher of the Year from Florida Atlantic University (2018), and the STEM Educator Award from the Engineers’ Council (2019).
Graduate Students
Darryl Dieujuste
PhD candidate, Mechanical Engineering
Email: ddieujus@my.fau.edu
Research topics: Smart biosensors, sickle cell disease
Babak Mosavati
PhD candidate, Mechanical Engineering
Email: bmosavati2017@fau.edu
Research topics: Organ-on-a-chip, placental malaria
Mustafa Ayanoglu
PhD candidate, Mechanical Engineering
Email: mayanoglu2012@fau.edu
Research topics: Moisture absorption and mechanics of composite materials
Kalpani Nisansala Udeni
PhD candidate, Physics
Email: gudeni2014@fau.edu
Co-advised with Dr. Andy W.C. Lau
Research topics: Biophysics of endothelial cell barrier function
Undergraduate Students
Ladd Brown
Mechanical Engineering
Email: laddbrown2015@fau.edu
Research topics: sickle cell vascular occlusion
High School Students
Kofi Meighan
Pine Crest School
Research interests: biomedical devices, sickle cell disease
Visiting Professors & Scholars
Shaofeng Wu, Lecturer, Hangzhou Dianzi University
Collaborators
Prof. Ofelia Alvarez, M.D., Professor of Clinical; Director, Pediatric Sickle Cell Program, University of Miami
Prof. Leif A. Carlsson, Ph.D., J.M. Rubin Foundation Professor, Florida Atlantic University
Prof. Ming Dao, Ph.D., Principal Investigator & Director, Nanomechanics Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Prof. Erik Engeberg, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Florida Atlantic University
Prof. Xuejin Li, Ph.D., ZJU-100 Young Professor, Zhejiang Universitty
Prof. Andrew V. Oleinikov, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biomedical Science, Florida Atlantic University
Prof. Claudia O Rodrigues, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, University of Miami
Prof. Subra Suresh, Ph.D., Vannevar Bush Professor of Engineering Emeritus, MIT; NTU President and Distinguished University Professor
Prof. Jianning Wei, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Florida Atlantic University
Prof. Emmanuelle Tognoli, Ph.D., Research Professor, Florida Atlantic University
Prof. Doug Hutchinson, M.D., Professor, University of Utah