Rudolph Gleason

Rudolph Gleason
rudy.gleason@me.gatech.edu

Rudolph (Rudy) L. Gleason began at Tech in Fall 2005 as an assistant professor. Prior, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Texas A&M University. He is currently a professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering. Gleason’s research program has two key and distinct research aims. The first research aim is to quantify the link between biomechanics, mechanobiology, and tissue growth and remodeling in diseases of the vasculature and other soft tissues. The second research aim is to translate engineering innovation to combat global health disparities and foster sustainable development in low-resource settings around the world. Gleason serves as a Georgia Tech Institute for People and Technology initiative lead for research activities related to global health equity and wellbeing.

Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering
Joint Appointment in the School of Biomedical Engineering
Phone
404-385-7218
Office
TEP 205
Additional Research

Cardiovascular mechanics, soft tissue growth and remodeling, and tissue engineering

IRI/Group and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
People and Technology > Affiliated Faculty
People and Technology > Leadership
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
People and Technology
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Human-Centric Technologies

Greg Gibson

Greg Gibson
greg.gibson@biology.gatech.edu

Greg Gibson is Professor of Biology and Director of the Center for Integrative Genomics at Georgia Tech. He received his BSc majoring in Genetics from the University of Sydney (Australia) and PhD in Developmental Genetics from the University of Basel. After transitioning to quantitative genetic research as a Helen Hay Whitney post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University, he initiated a program of genomic research as a David and Lucille Packard Foundation Fellow at the University of Michigan. He joined the faculty at Georgia Tech in Fall of 2009, after ten years at North Carolina State University where he developed tools for quantitative gene expression profiling and genetic dissection of development in the fruitfly Drosophila. He is now collaborating with the Center for Health Discovery and Well Being on integrative genomic analyses of the cohort. Dr Gibson is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and serves as Section Editor for Natural Variation for PLoS Genetics. He has authored a prominent text-book, a "Primer of Genome Science" as well as a popular book about genetics and human health, "It Takes a Genome".

Professor
Director, Center for Integrative Genomics
Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine, Emory University
Phone
404-385-2343
Office
EBB 2115A
Additional Research
Quantitative Evolutionary Genetics. After 15 years working on genomic approaches to complex traits in Drosophila, my group has spent much of the past 10 years focusing on human quantitative genetics. We start with the conviction that genotype-by-environment and genotype-by-genotype interactions are important influences at the individual level (even though they are almost impossible to detect at the population level). We use a combination of simulation studies and integrative genomics approaches to study phenomena such as cryptic genetic variation (context-dependent genetic effects) and canalization (evolved robustness) with the main focus currently on disease susceptibility.​ Immuno-Transcriptomics.As one of the early developers of statistical approaches to analysis of gene expression data, we have a long-term interest in applications of transcriptomics in ecology, evolution, and lately disease progression. Since blood is the mostaccessible human tissue, we've examined how variation is distributed within and among populations, across inflammatory and auto-immune states, and asked how it relates to variation in immune cell types. Our axes-of-variation framework provides a new way of monitoring lymphocyte, neutrophil, monocyte and reticulocyte profiles from whole peripheral blood. Most recently we have also been collaborating on numerous studies of specific tissues or purified cell types in relation to such diseases as malaria, inflammatory bowel disease, juvenile arthritis, lupus, and coronary artery disease. Predictive Health Genomics. Personalized genomic medicine can be divided into two domains: precision medicine and predictive health. We have been particularly interested in the latter, asking how environmental exposures and gene expression, metabolomic and microbial metagenomics profiles can be integrated with genomesequencing or genotyping to generate health risk assessments. A future direction is incorporation of electronic health records into genomic analyses of predictive health. Right now it is easier to predict the weather ten years in advance than loss of well-being, but we presume that preventative medicine is a big part of the future of healthcare.​
IRI/Group and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Data Engineering and Science > Faculty
Data Engineering and Science
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Sciences > School of Biological Sciences

Eric Gaucher

Eric Gaucher
eric.gaucher@biology.gatech.edu

Gaucher was guided in biochemistry by Peter Tipton and Bayesian Theory by George Smith. Gaucher subsequently earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida under the tutelage of Steve Benner and Michael Miyamoto.[1] Gaucher received the Walter M. Fitch Award from the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution for his graduate work.[2] He then did postdoctoral work with NASA's Astrobiology Institute in conjunction with a National Research Council Fellowship. After the two-year fellowship, Gaucher served as President of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution.

Gaucher was hired as an Associate Professor by the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2008 [1][3][4] The Gaucher group conducts basic and applied research at the interface of molecular evolution and synthetic biology. As of February 2016, his h-index, as calculated by Google Scholar, is 25.[5]

Gaucher is also the founder and president of the early-stage biotechnology company General Genomics. His company exploits novel platforms to engineer proteins for the biomedical and industrial sectors.

Adjunct Associate Professor
Phone
404-385-3265
Office
EBB 5013
Additional Research
Our laboratory has diverse research interests including: evolutionary synthetic biology, molecular biology, comparative genomics, computational biology, bioinformatics, biomedicine, molecular evolution and origins of life, and evolution and engineering of protein thermostability.
IRI/Group and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Sciences > School of Biological Sciences

Neha Garg

Neha Garg
neha.garg@chemistry.gatech.edu

Professor Garg received a Bachelors in Engineering in Biotechnology from University Institute of Technology and Masters in Science from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. During her masters, she spent several months in Berlin, Germany while conducting research with Professor Marion Ansorge Schumacher at Technical University, Berlin as an DAAD Fellow. Garg obtained her Ph.D. in 2013 from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign under the direction of Professor Wilfred A. van der Donk and Professor Satish Nair. She then joined Professor Pieter C Dorrestein's research laboratory as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of California, San Diego. Garg joined the faculty at GeorgiaTech in 2017.

Associate Professor
Phone
404-385-5677
Office
EBB 4016
Additional Research
Eukaryotes, including humans, are 'petri dishes', hosting an abundant and a rich prokaryotic 'microbiome'. The Garg Lab aims to understand the molecular interactions between a eukaryotic host and its microbiome, and how these molecular interactions dictate human health and disease. Using a concoction of innovative tools including bioinformatics, clinical microbiology, mass spectrometry, DNA sequencing, and mass spectrometry-based 2D and 3D spatial imaging, we aim to delineate specific molecules that modulate the dynamics of microbial involvement in our response to genetic and environmental triggers of disease. We characterize the biosynthesis of these small molecule natural products to innovate developement of new therapeutics.
IRI/Group and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Sciences > School of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Andrés J. García

Andrés J. García
andres.garcia@me.gatech.edu
Executive Director, Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience
The Petit Director’s Chair in Bioengineering and Bioscience
Regents’ Professor, George Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Phone
404-894-9384
Office
Petit Biotechnology Building, Office 2310
Additional Research

Dr. Garcia's research centers on cellular and tissue engineering, areas which integrate engineering and biological principles to control cell function in order to restore and/or enhance function in injured or diseased organs. Specifically, his research focuses on fundamental structure-function relationships governing cell-biomaterials interactions for bone and muscle applications. Current projects involve the analysis and manipulation of cell adhesion receptors and their extracellular matrix ligands. For example, a mechanochemical system has been developed to analyze the contributions of receptor binding, clustering, and interactions with other cellular structural proteins to cell adhesion strength. In another research thrust, bio-inspired surfaces, including micropatterned substrates, are engineered to control cell adhesion in order to direct signaling and cell function. For instance, biomolecular surfaces have been engineered to target specific adhesion receptors to modulate cell signaling and differentiation. These biomolecular strategies are applicable to the development of 3D hybrid scaffolds for enhanced tissue reconstruction,"smart" biomaterials, and cell growth supports. Finally, genetic engineering approaches have been applied to engineer cells that form bone tissue for use in the development of mineralized templates for enhanced bone repair.

IRI/Group and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Leadership, Faculty
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Human-Centric Technologies

Michelle Gaines, Ph.D.

Michelle Gaines, Ph.D.
mgaines6@spelman.edu

Michelle’s research is themed around designing and characterizing the surface chemical properties of synthetic and natural polymer systems. They will be used to develop multifunctional biomaterial substrates for regenerative medicine, cancer treatment, and personal care products. The goals of the Gaines Lab are achieved by marrying Polymer Synthesis, Materials Science, Cell Biology & Spectroscopy.

Assistant Professor
Phone
404.270.5743
Office
350 Spelman Lane, S.W.
IRI/Group and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience

Jessica Forness

Jessica Forness
jgilmore3@gatech.edu
Center Manager of the Center for the Study of Systems Biology
Phone
404-407-8976
Office
EBB 2153
IRI/Group and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Research Professional
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology

Stefan France

Stefan France
stefan.france@chemistry.gatech.edu

Stefan France is an Associate Professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Professor France earned his B.S. in Chemistry (2000) from Duke University and a M.A. (2003) and Ph.D. (2005) in Organic Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. His research group focuses on experimental methodology development, natural product synthesis, and medicinal chemistry. Owing to Prof. France's avid interest in undergraduate research, his research group has mentored and trained more than 60 undergraduates (both Georgia Tech and non-Georgia Tech students). Professor France has been the recipient of several awards for his research, mentorship, and teaching including: the 2018 Georgia Tech-Georgia Power Professor of Excellence; the 2015 Georgia Tech Senior Faculty Outstanding Undergraduate Mentor Award; the 2014 Georgia Tech Faculty Award for Academic Outreach; the 2014 Georgia Tech Hesberg Teaching Award; the 2013 Georgia Tech Sigma Xi Young Faculty Award; the 2012 National Organization for the Professional Advancement for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) Lloyd N. Ferguson Young Scientist Award; and the 2011 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. He heads the Chemistry FAST Program, a NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site, and also serves as Chair of the NSF Chemistry REU Leadership Group.

Associate Professor
Phone
404-385-1796
Office
MoSE 2100K
Additional Research
Our group is interested in the design of efficient methodologies to accomplish the formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds with the intent to apply the methodology toward the synthesis of complex natural and unnatural targets. Natural Product Synthesis. Approaches to natural products not only inspire the development of new synthetic strategies, but often unveil unexpected and often interesting reactivity. Targets are chosen for their interesting biological activity along with their sheer complexity. We are interested in exploring both modular and convergent approaches to complex targets that enable facile derivatization for the development of combinatorial libraries. Medicinal Chemistry. Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry lies at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacy. Our group is interested in the design, synthesis and development of pharmaceutical drugs, or other chemical entities suitable for therapeutic use. We are further interested in the study of their biological properties and their quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). Given that medicinal chemistry is a highly interdisciplinary science, we aim to establish several collaborations with biologists, biochemists, and computational chemists to facilitate the design and development process. In particular, we aim to develop therapeutics toward the treatment of various forms of cancer, HIV, diabetes, and neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
IRI/Group and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Renewable Bioproducts > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
Renewable Bioproducts
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Sciences > School of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Ming-fai Fong

Ming-fai Fong
ming-fai.fong@bme.gatech.edu

Ming-fai Fong is an Assistant Professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. She received her BS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Emory University. She completed her postdoctoral training in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT and a visiting lectureship in the Neuroscience Department at Wellesley College.
 

Assistant Professor
Phone
404.894.6059
Office
UAW 3103
IRI/Group and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience

Craig Forest

Craig Forest
cforest@gatech.edu

Craig Forest is a Professor and Woodruff Faculty Fellow in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech where he also holds program faculty positions in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. He conducts research on miniaturized, high-throughput robotic instrumentation to advance neuroscience and genetic science, working at the intersection of bioMEMS, precision machine design, optics, and microfabrication. Prior to Georgia Tech, he was a research fellow in Genetics at Harvard Medical School. He obtained a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in June 2007, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 2003, and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2001. He is cofounder/organizer of one of the largest undergraduate invention competitions in the US—The InVenture Prize, and founder/organizer of one of the largest student-run makerspaces in the US—The Invention Studio. He was a recently a Fellow in residence at the Allen Insitutte for Brain Science in Seattle WA; he was awarded the Georgia Tech Institute for BioEngineering and BioSciences Junior Faculty Award (2010) and was named Engineer of the Year in Education for the state of Georgia (2013). He is one of the inaugural recipients of the NIH BRAIN Initiative Grants, a national effort to invent the next generation of neuroscience and neuroengineering tools. In 2007, he was a finalist on the ABC reality TV show "American Inventor.”

Professor
Phone
404.385.7645
Office
Petit Biotechnology Building, Office 1310
Additional Research
The Precision Biosystems Laboratory is focused on the creation and application of miniaturized, high-throughput, biological instrumentation to advance genetic science. The development of instruments that can nimbly load, manipulate, and measure many biological samples - not only simultaneously, but also more sensitively, more accurately, and more repeatably than under current approaches - opens the door to essential, comprehensive biological system studies. Our group strives to develop these tools, validate their performance with meaningful biological assays, and with our collaborators, pursue discoveries using the instruments. These instruments, and the discoveries they enable, could open new frontiers forthe design and control of biological systems.
IRI/Group and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Manufacturing > Affiliated Faculty
Manufacturing
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering