Principal Investigator
Dr. Katharina Maisel (she/her)Assistant Professor
Fischell Department of Bioengineering B.S.E. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan 2010
Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University 2014 NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago 2018 Dr. Maisel joined the University of Maryland in January 2019. Her interdisciplinary training combines nanotechnology, mucosal immunology, lymphatic immunology, and immunoengineering. Her graduate work under Drs. Justin Hanes and Richard Cone focused on designing nanomedicines and their delivery vehicles for treating diseases at mucosal surfaces, particularly the gastrointestinal and cervicovaginal tracts. She then ventured into the world of immunology, spending her postdoc studying the immunological roles of lymphatics in allergic airway inflammation and the immune involvement in the rare lung disease lymphangioleiomyomatosis.
Dr. Maisel moved to Michigan from Germany as a teenager and loves going back to Europe to visit family and friends. In her free time she enjoys baking, singing, and traveling. |
Graduate Students
Mayowa AmosuPhD Student, Biological Sciences Graduate Program
B.S. Biology, University of Georgia 2012 MPH Epidemiology, University of Georgia 2016 NIH Intramural Research Fellow, NIAID 2018 Broadly, Mayowa’s research interests include autoimmunity, immunotherapies, host defense in disease and vaccine development. In lab, she is interested in understanding lymphatic transport in LAM and manipulating local immune responses through lymphatics. Her hobbies include latin dances (salsa and tango!), jewelry metalsmithing, and event photography.
Amanda Bogseth (she/her)PhD Student, Fischell Department of Bioengineering
B.S. Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago 2021 Amanda's research interests include developing in-vitro 3D models of diseased and healthy tissues with immune components to determine key immune differences between physiological states. Within the Maisel lab, she will focus on developing models of intestine tissue combined with lymphatic flow to create a better understanding of lymphatic physiology within the gut. When not in the lab, she enjoys listening to podcasts, cooking, and nature photography.
Jake McCrightPhD Student, Fischell Department of Bioengineering
B.S. Bioengineering, University of Maryland 2018 Jake's research interests are in drug delivery and transport within the lymphatics. He is also interested in developing gene and immunotherapies. He completed his undergraduate research at the FDA under Dr. Jakob Reiser, focusing on developing safer lentiviral vectors. His interests include traveling and playing the piano.
Ann Ramirez (she/her)PhD Student, Fischell Department of Bioengineering
B.S. Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology 2019 Ann is interested in targeted drug delivery and taking advantage of the immune system to enhance therapeutics and activate an immune response in an otherwise compromised system. When not in the lab, she enjoys trying new recipes in the kitchen and spending time with her dog Bentley.
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Staff
Undergraduate Students
Anna (Anya) Filatova (she/her)B.S. Candidate ('22), Fischell Department of Bioengineering
A.S. Life Science, Howard Community College 2018 Anya seeks to develop genetic/epigenetic therapies, immunotherapies, and drug delivery systems and translate them into manufacturable products. While her background includes entrepreneurship, she currently works with Mayowa to manipulate immune responses in the presence of LAM and leads the '22 Capstone Team 9 to automate rapid CHO cell expansion through hyperspectral imaging and machine learning. Outside of the lab, she enjoys growing her semi-passive ecommerce business.
Brooke Merwitz (she/her)B.S. Candidate ('22), Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Brooke is a Bioengineering major from Columbia, Maryland. She is in the University Honors program at UMD and is currently on the pre-med track. Her research interests include drug delivery and tissue engineering, and she ultimately hopes to help enhance therapeutics through her research. In her free time, Brooke enjoys working out, playing sports, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.
Kaitlyn Moore (she/her)B.S. Candidate ('23). Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Kaitlyn is a Bioengineering major from Annapolis, MD. She is currently on the Biotechnology and Therapeutics Engineering track. Her interests include studying immune involvement in disease, specifically lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). In her free time, she enjoys working out, playing violin, and listening to music.
Ritika Naiknavare (she/her)B.S. Candidate ('22), Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Ritika is a Bioengineering major and Global Engineering Leadership minor from Rockville, MD. Her research interests center around nanoparticle formulation to enhance drug delivery as well as understanding how diseases affect lymphatic transport. In her free time, she loves to travel, read fantasy novels, and hit the gym.
Arnav SinhaB.S. Candidate ('22), Department of Psychology and Neurobiology & Physiology
Arnav is a Neurobiology and Physiology and Psychology major from Ellicott City. He hopes to attend medical school and pursue an MD/Ph.D. His research interests include developing better treatments for patients by leveraging nanotechnology and tissue engineering methods. In his spare time, Arnav enjoys going to the gym, playing soccer, and hanging out with friends.
Erik VaughanB.S. Candidate ('22), Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Erik is a Bioengineering major from Ellicott City, MD. He is interested in in-vitro modeling of the lymphatics and tissue engineering. He hopes to use microfluidics to understand lymphatic transport in both normal and diseased states to inform drug delivery and therapeutic design. Outside of the lab, he enjoys running, travelling, and making playlists.
Bennett YangB.S. Candidate ('22), Department of Psychology and Neurobiology & Physiology
Bennett is a Physiology and Neurobiology and Economics major with a minor in Religious Studies from Potomac, MD. He hopes to earn a medical degree after his time at UMD. His research interests include investigating the cancer microenvironment and its effect on lymphatic systems. He likes to play intramural soccer, piano, and tennis in his spare time.
Jenny Yarmovsky (she/her)B.S. Candidate ('23), Department of Bioengineering
Jenny is a Bioengineering major from Rockville, MD. She is in the Integrated Life Sciences Honors College and on a pre-health track. She is interested in improving drug delivery through formulation of nanoparticles. She enjoys playing piano, dancing, and listening to podcasts in her free time.
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Alumni
Dalia Kassas (she/her)
B.S. Candidate ('22), Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Ashleigh Jankowski (she/her)
2021 REU Student; currently: B.S. (’23), Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rowan University
Priscilla Lee (she/her)
B.S. 2021, Fischell Department of Bioengineering; currently: MS '22 Bioengineering
Colin Skeen (he/his)
B.S. 21, Fischell Department of Bioengineering; currently: PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University