Team
We are highly driven, and welcome team members that share our vision of improving healthcare using biomaterials.

Principal Investigator
Dr. Muhammad Rizwan
Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering (Primary) and Department of Ophthalmology (Secondary), UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, USA, 2022-2024
University of Toronto, Shoichet Lab, Postdoc, 2019 - 2021
University of Waterloo, Canada, Yim Lab, Postdoc, 2017 - 2019
National University of Singapore, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, 2017
Hanyang University, South Korea, M.S. Bio-nano Engineering, 2012
Dr Sunil Shrestha obtained his Ph.D. from the University of North Texas. His research interest include stem cell culture, tissue engineering, 3D bioprinting, microfluidics, and high throughput drug screening. In the free time, Sunil enjoys listening music and traveling.
Dr. Nabanita Mukherjee has joined Rizwan Lab as a Postdoctoral Researcher. She completed her Ph.D. at IIT Jodhpur, India, where her work focused on designing smart peptide-based biomaterials for wound healing and brain injury repair. With a strong background in organic chemistry and peptide synthesis, Nabanita has developed antibacterial, angiogenic, and neuroprotective hydrogels using supramolecular strategies. Her current interests lie in creating immunomodulatory materials for neural repair. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading novels and listening to soft rock music.
Dr. Muhammad Waqas Ishaq previously obtained postdoctoral training in the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his Ph.D. as a CAS-TWAS Fellow at the University of Science and Technology of China, following a master’s from UET Lahore. His research centers on the design and synthesis of functional polymers, with an emphasis on structure–property relationships and their applications in therapeutics, immunological modulation, and targeted drug delivery. Beyond his work in polymer chemistry and biomaterials, he enjoys cricket, badminton, hiking, reading, and spending time with his friends.
Ph.D. Student
Saad obtained B.Sc. in Materials Engineering from National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Pakistan
Ph.D. Student
Asma obtained MS in Biotechnology from National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Pakistan
Ph.D. Student
Cody obtained B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and joined Rizwan Lab as a PhD student in 2023.
Ph.D. Student
Omanin graduated from Military Institute of Science & Technology, Bangladesh with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering