PI: Maral Mousavi

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California

Contact: mousavi.maral@usc.edu

Learn more the PI!

Victor Ong • joined 2019

Victor is a transplant from Hawaii to California- warm weather only- after transferring from UH Manoa to USC in his third year, he liked it enough to stay for his Ph.D.! He performed undergraduate research in nanomedicine as a USC Provost Fellow, and wants to continue focusing on the “bio” part of “biomedical engineering”. Victor works on development of wearable and point-of-care devices for detection of pathogens.

Apart from research, Victor very much enjoys fiddling and experimenting with electronics and technology. He’s also a musician and singer, video producer, and is deeply connected with Christian Challenge on campus. He’s also traveled around Asia quite a bit, and is a pretty big food-lover (but who isn’t?).

Oh, and he loves meeting new people- especially students- send him an email or drop by the lab!

Farbod Amir • joined 2020

Farbod has earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Tehran and graduated with an M.S. degree in Bioengineering at San Diego State University in 2019. Recently, he joined the Mad Lab to pursue my research interests to develop wearable sensors and designing affordable point-of-care-diagnostics. The necessity of developing inexpensive detection tools increases as the world faces different challenges. He hopes that his research could contribute to the field of precision medicine, fabricate diagnostic devices, and make them more accessible.

Farbod likes to learn about new cultures, familiarize himself with different perspectives and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds, learn and implement new things, as Stephen R. Covey said, ” Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”

Sina Khazaee Nejad • joined 2022

Sina earned his Bachelors at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran in Electrical Engineering and has joined MADLab in 2022. He has worked on wearable soft sensors and optical methods for glucose monitoring during his undergraduate in the basement of the EE department and a little in East Asia, and moved to the third floor of DRB, MADLab, where he continues his work toward developing wearable point-of-care devices, and combining them with data processing techniques and machine learning algorithms.
He hikes, reads old novels, and checks out the beach sometimes since weather is the thing he likes the most about Southern California.

Ali Soleimani • joined 2022

Ali received his B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from K.N. Toosi University of Technology (Iran) in 2020. In his undergraduate project, he designed a microfluidic device to separate tumor cells from normal blood cells. He will join MAD LAB as a Ph.D. student to pursue his research interest; design and fabrication of affordable biosensors.

Apart from research, Ali likes hiking, traveling, playing soccer, watching movies, and meeting new people.

Abdulrahman Al-Shami • joined 2022

Abdulrahman earned his M.S. in Nanotechnology and Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan, in 2020. He got his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the same university in 2017. Abdulrahman joined USC and MAD lab as a Ph.D. student in the fall of 2022. His research interests focus on developing cost-effective point-of-care medical diagnostic tools to make healthcare better and available to everyone worldwide. Abdulrahman is originally from a small village in Ba’dan mountain in Ibb, Yemen. Besides research, He likes football and swimming and is fond of learning about different nations’ histories, cultures, and languages.

Melissa Banks • joined 2023

Melissa earned her first bachelor’s degree in dietetics with an emphasis in nutritional biochemistry from the University of Kentucky, and went on to work in both acute and long term care facilities. She returned to school at USC to study biomedical engineering where she graduated with a BS in biomedical (mechanical) engineering and an MS in biomedical (chemical) engineering. Her research is focused on low-cost solutions to common conditions, particularly those involving women’s health and point of care diagnostics. She is a huge animal lover and has two dogs, her precious pound puppy “Pongo” and a roly-poly spaniel named “Waffles”. She is also involved in charity work with the Beagle Freedom Project, which raises money to purchase laboratory testing dogs so they may retire in loving homes.

Haozheng Ma • joined 2023

Haozheng earned his Bachelors at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing in Chemistry. He has worked on wearable biofluid sensors, and chemiluminescence methods for folic acid detection during his undergraduate at National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China. He moved to USC to pursue his Masters project in the fall of 2021 and joined MAD Lab at once, where he keeps his interest in developing wearable point-of-care devices, but more focusing on electrochemical methods with high sensitivity.

In his mind, cooking is like chemistry and billiard is like physics, both of which attract him deeply. Compared with the sunshine in LA, he prefers the clouds in the sky, especially during sunset!

Hamid Asadi • joined 2022

Hamid received his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Georgia in Spring 2022. During his Ph.D., he conducted several research projects on the interface of materials science, electrochemistry, and biology with the focus on the development of nanostructured electrochemical biosensors for detection of cancer biomarkers/bacterial pathogens and the application of polymeric coatings for corrosion mitigation in biomedical implants. In Summer 2022, he joined MAD Lab at the University of Southern California as a postdoctoral researcher to further pursue his career in the field of biomedical engineering. Hamid’s goal at MAD Lab is to employ his background knowledge and experience toward developing of novel point-of-care biosensors for early diagnosis of some the most burdensome diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, periodontitis, and COVID-19 with the hope of making a significant contribution to the promotion of human health and well-being. In his spare time outside of the lab, Hamid enjoys playing tennis, hiking, going to the movies, and traveling!

Ruitong Chen • joined 2021

Ruitong is a Biomedical Engineering student who is passionate about wearable diagnostics devices that can detect diseases at their early stage. His goal is to develop a stable diagnostics device, preferably in the form of contact lenses because he thinks it is cooler, and thus help more people live a longer life. With this goal bearing in mind, he joins MAD Lab in hopes of learning more about the field which can pave the way for his future graduate studies.

Asna Tabassum • joined 2021 • 2022 CURVE Fellow

Asna majors in Biomedical Engineering as part of USC’s Class of 2024. She joined the MAD Lab to create affordable and accessible point-of-care medical devices for low-resource settings, part of her broader interests in health equity and medicine. She hopes to, one day, provide medical relief in these settings— but in the meantime, she explores the worlds of research, consulting, and volunteering, relaxing with table tennis or a good book.

Kara Ushijima • joined 2021 • 2022 CURVE Fellow

Kara is a third-year undergraduate studying biomedical engineering with a molecular-cellular emphasis from Honolulu, HI. She joined the MAD Lab to learn more about the application of point-of-care devices in low-resource clinical settings. She hopes to one day attend medical school. On campus, Kara is involved in ASBME, MEDesign, volunteering, and tutoring.

Michael Lee • joined 2022 • 2022 CURVE Fellow

Michael is a second year undergraduate student studying Biomedical Engineering with a molecular-cellular emphasis at USC. He joined the MAD Lab in Spring 2022 in hopes of understanding how fabric-based electrodes work, as well as implementing the technology into equipment like face masks. Aside from research and school, Michael grew up in South Pasadena, California, where he makes both coffee and boba drinks for his local church! Michael also loves basketball and movies!

Chur Tam • joined 2022

Chur is a fourth-year student studying Biomedical Engineering with an electrical emphasis and a minor in Technology Commercialization. She is from Tempe, Arizona and wants to use her education to curb the cost of healthcare, which is why she joined the MAD Lab. Outside of the lab, she was involved with ASBME. Now, she spends her time with Makers and HKSA. Chur also loves crocheting and building mechanical keyboards in her spare time.

Preston Dankwah • joined 2022 • 2022 CURVE Fellow

Preston is a third year undergraduate studying Biomedical Engineering with a mechanical engineering emphasis from Palo Alto, California. As a professional he wants to develop medical devices that not only prevent neurological and physical impairments but also rehabilitate people who are impaired through accidents. He is also interested in investigating the brain-machine interface and creating wearable technologies. His other passions include playing soccer and cooking.

Alicia Tsung • joined 2022 • 2022 CURVE Fellow

Alicia is a Chemical Engineering student with a Biochemical Emphasis. Because she is interested in designing medical devices that will meaningfully impact the well-being of others, she joined the MAD Lab as a CURVE fellow to help develop devices that contribute to more sustainable and affordable healthcare. On campus, Alicia is involved in MEDesign, AIChE, and CASA. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, watching K-dramas and C-dramas, practicing new pieces on the piano, and playing volleyball with friends.

Stephanie Bartholomew • joined 2022 • 2022 CURVE Fellow

Stephanie is a first-year studying Chemical Engineering with a biochemical emphasis. She hopes to use her engineering background to work in the healthcare industry. In a past research study, she observed the effect of caffeine on the cellular growth of S. Cerevisiae which made her more interested in the capabilities caffeine could have as well as simply getting back in the lab. This is why she is beyond excited to be a part of MAD lab as a CURVE student. Aside from school, she grew up in Tucson, Arizona; back home she is a part of Kino Border Initiative, a non-profit organization advocating for the rights of migrants in the US. Stephanie also loves musicals and tennis!

Kate Packard • joined 2022

Kate is a third-year undergraduate biomedical engineering from Duxbury, Massachusetts. She has a mechanical emphasis and is hoping to use her skills to design and develop affordable medical devices. She is excited to be a part of MADlab and to develop engineering tools and learn more about the research process! On campus, Kate is also involved with MEDesign and the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) program.

Anchal Srivastava • joined 2022 • 2022 CURVE fellow

Anchal is a first-year undergraduate majoring in Computer Engineering and Computer Science, along with doing the pre-med track, from Santa Clara, CA. She is interested in the intersection of engineering and medicine, in the hopes of improving affordability and access to health care. She is excited to be part of MAD Lab to explore the field of biomedical engineering. On campus, Anchal is part of IEEE and SWE.

Alessandro Tasso • joined 2023

Alessandro is a second-year undergraduate student studying Biomedical Engineering at USC. He joined the MAD Lab in the Fall of 2022 to learn more about biosensors & electrodes’ role in developing cost-effective point-of-care medical diagnostic tools that make healthcare more efficient and readily available to everyone worldwide. Outside of school and research, Alessandro grew up in Berkeley, California. He enjoys taking his dog Chloe for walks, going on hikes with friends, and playing the guitar.

Alara Berkmen • joined 2023 • CURVE and WiSE Fellow

Alara is a second-year undergraduate from Maui, HI, majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a molecular-cellular emphasis. She joined the MAD Lab to learn more about the academic approach to device design, with an emphasis on increasing accessibility and cost-efficiency in women’s health and diagnostics. She is passionate about patient advocacy and ethical technology, and hopes to pursue that emphasis in her professional career. She is involved in the Society of Women Engineers, ASBME, ShiftSC, Trojan BioBusiness Group, and the USC Helenes. When not in clubs, she enjoys playing piano, kitesurfing, and reading.

Ava Tran • joined 2022 • CURVE 2023 Fellow

Ava is a second-year undergraduate studying chemical engineering with a biochemical and pharmaceutical emphasis. She is from Los Angeles, CA. She joined the MAD Lab to learn about accessible and affordable of point-of-care devices in low-resource settings, and is specifically interested in its applications in mental and women’s health. On campus, Ava is involved in AIChE, SCC, and is director of NSQK Dance, USC’s hip-hop and open style dance team. Outside of school, she enjoys learning various dance styles and competing at choreography and freestyle competitions.

Alex Rohleder • joined 2023 • CURVE 2024 Fellow

Alex is a third year undergraduate student studying Biomedical Engineering with a molecular-cellular emphasis and a minor in Business Finance at USC. He joined MAD Lab in Fall 2023 to gain experience in lab research and better understand the engineering process as it relates to medical devices, in hopes of making contributions to medical devices in the future. Outside of school and research, Alex was raised in Mission Viejo, California. He loves God, playing water polo and volleyball, surfing with his friends, and reading.

Catherine Hartman • joined 2024

Catherine is a freshman biomedical engineering student on the pre-med track hailing from Westchester, NY. She is involved in ASBME, Trojan BioBusiness Group, and Womxn RISE. Outside of school, she enjoys staying active outside, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends!