Team

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

We are growing.

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

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS

Dr. Sunil Shrestha

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

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

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.