Hyun Joon Kong
(217) 333-1178
108 Roger Adams Lab
Qualifications:
GPA: Preferably over 3.0, motivation/commitment is however more important.
Coursework Criteria:
- Students that are in their Junior/Senior year in good standing are preferred.
- Sophomores can be accepted for ChBE 199, after which they may continue for ChBE 499.
- Projects are primarily experimental.
- Highly motivated students are welcome.
Other: Most students work for two semesters for about 12 hours per week to obtain the minimum of five credits. Work hours are flexible, but lost time needs to be made up (evening, weekend, holidays). Work can also be performed over the summer. Highly motivated students have a chance to write an article in peer-reviewed journal.
Research:
Biomaterials, Cell engineering, Tissue engineering
Our research foceses on
- molecular, nano-, and micro-scale design of bio-inspired materials to reproduce structure and function of natural extracellular matrices,
- engineering cellular niches to regulate the growth, lineage, and death of stem and progenitor cells using these materials,
- development of novel tools to analyze the cross-talk between cell and engineered extracellular matrices, and
- application of biologically engineered analogs of therapeutic molecules, cells, and biomaterials for various stem cell-based tissue engineering, including both the regeneration of functional tissue and destruction of pathologic tissue.
Skills that the students will acquire include: how to synthesize and fabricate biomaterials used in various biomedical applications, how to regulate cellular activities with biochemical and biophysical signals, and how to engineer functional tissue and organs.
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