ISACB Transatlantic Young Investigator Training Network
ISACB Early Career Mentorship co-chairs are working alongside a small group of Medical and Ph.D. students as well as postdoctoral fellows and residents to shape the goals and initiatives of the committee and to ensure we are addressing the needs and objectives of mentees and junior scientists. As part of the ISACB Transatlantic Young Investigator Training Network, Junior members of the committee usually serve for 2 years and assist with a variety of career development opportunities. Current members include:
Arvin Soepriatna, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Biology, Engineering, and Medicine (I-BEAM) at Brown University. During his graduate training, Arvin advanced ultrasound technology to characterize mechanical properties of the injured heart. His postdoctoral research employs tissue engineering to study cardiac arrhythmias and to investigate how implanted engineered heart tissues induce mechanical and electrical remodeling of repaired infarcts. His long-term goal is to establish a laboratory that utilizes cutting-edge imaging tools to reveal the complex interplay between mechanical and electrical remodeling driving cardiac disease progression. Email: arvin_soepriatna@brown.edu
Merle Krebber, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow from the Dept. Nephrology and Hypertension, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands. Merle performed her graduate training on how cardiovascular disease (CVD) and regeneration interact with the immune system, aiming to improve regenerative medicine (RM) outcomes. Her expertise includes employing pre-clinical CVD models to increase vascular tissue engineering translatability. Currently working at the RM Center Utrecht, Merle focusses on personalized vascular engineering. Her vision is to establish an interdisciplinary research line, integrating immunology, kidney- and CVD pathophysiology, and biomaterial science. Email: m.m.krebber-2@umcutrecht.nl
Fabien Kawecki, PhD, is a young researcher working at the laboratory for Bioengineering of Tissue (BioTis) at INSERM, University of Bordeaux, France. He completed his PhD in bone tissue engineering and microvascularization from Laval University in Quebec City, Canada. After that, he worked as an industrial Post-doc at Poietis Company in Pessac, France, where he developed a valvular tissue using a multimodal 3D bioprinting system (NGB). In 2019, He joined Dr. Nicolas L’Heureux’s research group at BioTis as a Post-doc to work on an ERC-granted project aimed at developing a new generation of woven tissue-engineered vascular grafts using Cell-Assembled extracellular Matrix (CAM) material. In 2021, he started his independent research program with the goal of developing completely biological strategies for cardiovascular surgical repairs, with a focus on using CAM material in pediatric cardiovascular applications (tetralogy of Fallot and Fontan procedures) to improve patient treatments. Fabien’s expertise covers tissue engineering of various connective tissues, including blood vessels, cardiac valves, bone, and skin. Email: fabien.kawecki@inserm.fr
Gaëtan Roudier, PhD, recently graduated from the University of Bordeaux (France) in the Laboratory for the Bioengineering of Tissues, where he worked under the supervision of Dr. Nicolas L’Heureux. His Master thesis was done at the Trinity Center for Biomedical Engineering in Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), under the supervision of Dr. Michael Monaghan. Here, we worked on the optimization of the production of 3D electroconductive porous scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering. Driven by the goal to translate research from lab to bedside, he also graduated from the University of Paris (France) with a MSc in Bioentrepreneurship. His Master project led him to run a program of translational research in an academic environment, SPARK Bordeaux, as part of the SPARK Global network. This aimed to support researchers with innovative projects, as a response to unmet medical needs, to get their idea to the clinic. Email: gaetan.roudier@gmail.com
Jennifer L. Anderson, PhD, RDMS, RVT is a postdoctoral associate in the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. She works in the department of neurological sciences for Dr. Marilyn Cipolla investigating mechanisms of early-term preeclampsia and its impact on the cerebrovasculature both during and following pregnancy. Jen is passionate about women’s health and understanding the impact of pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions on the circulatory system across a patient’s lifetime. Email: jennifer.anderson@uvm.edu
Ande Marini is a current PhD Candidate in the Vascular Bioengineering Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. Her work focuses on creating a controlled delivery system of mesenchymal stem cell derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) for treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm. She is interested in the degradative mechanisms of AAA, mitigation of these degradative enzymes with MSC-EVs, investigation of extracellular matrix production following EV treatment in AAA, and restoration of vascular wall integrity. In addition to EV work, she is also interested in drug delivery of regenerative factors to treat other cardiovascular diseases. Email: ande.marini@pitt.edu
Hannah Cebull, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University School of Medicine in the Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences. Her primary work involves novel application and analysis of 4D flow MRI in aortic diseases. She is part of a multidisciplinary team of biomedical engineers and physicians, from Emory University Hospital and Georgia Tech, leveraging the unique expertise of each member. Hannah’s next career step will be continuing cardiovascular imaging research at an institution that values both research and teaching. She plans to specifically focus on neglected cardiovascular diseases within her lab. Email: hcebull@emory.edu
Karl H. Schneider, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow at the Medical University of Vienna, Department of Biomedical Research and Translational Surgery. His early work involved the development and in-vitro/in-vivo characterization of cardiovascular prosthetic grafts up to preclinical level. Later he was setting up a 3D printing infrastructure for biomedical research at his institute. Leading a soft tissue engineering lab, he combines biomaterial design and additive manufacturing strategies. From 2021 to 2022, he worked as a PostDoc Fellow in the lab of Prof. David L. Kaplan, TUFTS University, Boston, developing novel bioinks mixed from human placental ECM and silk fibroin. Back in Vienna, he's actively involved, organizing workshops and lectures on advanced technologies in biomedical research. Email: Karl.Schneider@meduniwien.ac.at
