Dr. Tohid Didar holds Canada Research Chair (CRC) in NanoBiomaterials and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering and a member of the Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR) at McMaster University. Before joining McMaster in January 2016, Dr. Didar was a postdoctoral fellow at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University in Professor Donald Ingber’s lab. There he designed and developed a robust and clinically relevant extracorporeal dialysis-like treatment (DLT) device for sepsis. Since joining McMaster in 2016, he has established a world class interdisciplinary research platform on smart, multifunctional nano-biomaterials, and has fostered strategic industry collaborations within the biomedical and food sectors. Due to his contributions to this field, he was awarded the Ontario Early Researcher Award in 2019 and the Engineering Innovation Award of the Year by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers in 2020. In 2019, Dr. Didar co-invented a pathogen repelling plastic wrap (RepelWrap). This technology won the 2020 Grand Prize for the Create the Future Design Concept by Tech Briefs magazine. Dr. Didar has also co-founded FendX (a McMaster spin off) to commercialize pathogen repellant and antimicrobial coatings developed in his lab. Dr. Didar has published over 50 journal papers, over 12 patent applications and has presented over 30 national and international invited talks and keynote speeches.

Liane Ladouceur recently completed her MASc in Biomedical Engineering in the Didar Lab. She joined this group while completing her final year of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering at McMaster University. As part of this program, she has gained industry experience through co-op positions with Mackenzie Innovation Institute and Siemens Healthineers. She also holds a BSc in Neuroscience from Carleton University, which allowed her a first taste of research experience in 2012. Throughout her studies Liane has sustained her passion for the medical field by volunteering in hospitals and related part time jobs. In her spare time she enjoys running, having most recently completed the Toronto Waterfront half-marathon.

Farhaan obtained a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Genetics in 2017 from McMaster University and a Master of Science in Biology from Western University in 2020. He focused on microbiology themes for his co-op and thesis works with specific focuses on antimicrobial resistance and fungal ecology. In the Didar and Soleymani labs, he is currently helping manufacture and test superhydrophobic surfaces against environmental and microbiological conditions. Having first stepped on the McMaster campus as an undergrad in 2012, Farhaan has explored Hamilton extensively along with almost every building on campus. Outside of the lab, he enjoys jogging and keeping up with psychology and tech.

Nusrat Helali received her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 2014. Afterwards she gathered industry experience while she served in multinational Agro chemical company, Syngenta Crop protection Ag. She pursued her master’s degree at University of Alberta in Mechanical Engineering in 2020. Her reasearch was based on Development of Superhydrophobic and underwater oleophobic membrane development foil oily waste water treatment. Nusrat has joined Didar and Soleymani Labs in 2022 as a laboratory technician and continuing her work on hierarchical structured repel wrap development. Nusrat has also interest in travelling and exploring in spare time.

Amid Shakeri received his bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering from University of Tehran in 2010. He also pursued his master’s education at University of Tehran and obtained his master degree in 2013. After graduation, he continued his research in Nanostructured Materials and Composites Laboratory, University of Tehran, as a research assistant and supervised a number of projects on synthesis and characterization of thin and thick films of hydroxyapatite composites as well as piezo MEMS. During his tenure at the University of Tehran, Amid published over 5 Journal papers as well as several conference papers and abstracts. Amid joined Didar Lab in 2016 as a PhD student with a particular interest in bio-inspired technologies. Amid’s hobbies include playing guitar, singing, and playing soccer.

Cédric Pattyn graduated in 2015 from the University of Orléans with an optoelectronics engineering diploma along with a materials science master degree. The expertise he developed was focused on plasma science and engineering. Following graduation, he did his PhD in the GREMI laboratory (University of Orléans / CNRS) on the topic of biosensor development and extensively studied the synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotubes, carbon nanowalls, graphene and ultra-thin polymer coatings by PECVD. After two years postdoc in Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) on the topic of nitrogen fixation by green chemistry and one year postdoc in Polytechique Montréal (R&D, Startup Company) focused on surface engineering by plasma for bio-applications, he joined Didar and Soleymani labs in 2022 as postdoctoral fellow. In his spare time, he enjoys artistic activities such as music, drawing, painting and cooking but also sport (football, ski, hiking…) and he is very enthusiast about travelling and discovering other cultures.

Lei Tian obtained his BSc (2014) and MASc (2017) in Biomedical Engineering from Southeast University, China. He recently completed his PhD program in the Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University. During Lei’s PhD studies, he focused on bacteriophage materials and microstructured surfaces. So far, he’s completed 5 first-author papers, 10 co-author papers as well as 3 patents. After graduation, he is now a postdoctoral fellow and continuing his research in nanostructured biomaterials under supervision of Dr. Zeinab Hosseinidoust and Dr. Tohid Didar. Outside of his academics, he enjoys hiking, swimming and cooking.

Sara Imani obtained her BSc in Chemical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran in July 2016, her MSc from Didar Lab at McMaster and finally her PhD in the School of Biomedical Engineering from the Didar lab and Soleymani Lab in 2022. As an engineering student, she was inspired by biology and wanted to focus on research at the junction of engineering and biological sciences. Currently, Sara is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Didar Lab. Other than her academic life, Sara enjoys calligraphy, basketball, and playing guitar.

Martin Villegas obtained his bachelors in electrical and biomedical engineering from McMaster University in 2011. After graduation, he spent a few years working as a technician and a control systems engineer for Rowan Companies Inc. Through his position at Rowan, he was exposed to many different working conditions, obtaining hands on experience in the electrical field, all while having the opportunity to work in the UK, Holland, Norway and the USA. Not forgetting his true passion for medicine, he spent his spare time volunteering at a small clinic in Texas where he learned about medical tests and point of care instrumentation. Currently, Martin is pursuing his master’s degree in biomedical engineering at the Didar lab. His main focus include early detection instrumentation, including lab-on-chip technology, microfluidics and biosensors. His current project involves developing novel coatings on gold sheet biosensors to reduce non-specific adhesion. Outside of his academic life, Martin enjoys traveling, learning about other cultures and languages, training in the Brazilian martial art of capoeira and building electronics.

Sara is a recipient of the prestigious McMaster Dean’s Excellence Engineering Doctoral Award. She obtained her BSc in Chemical Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnique), Iran. She then joined department of Chemical Engineering at University of Waterloo to pursue her Master’s degree. Her master’s research was focused on engineering environmentally-responsive coated magnetic nanogels for controlled and prolonged drug delivery systems. This experience made her excelled at polymer science, synthesis, and chemistry. After graduation, she worked at the University Health Network, Toronto, as a part of a multi-disciplinary team of surgeons, scientists, and engineers to work on a variety of clinical problems to improve patient care. There, she investigated the engineering aspects of the minimally-invasive endovascular surgery applied in abdominal aneurysm repair. To follow her passion for working at the interface between engineering and applied biology, Sara decided to pursue her PhD studies in Biomedical Engineering at the Didar land Verdu Labs, where she can address real problems in human health with bio-inspired technologies. Her PhD research is focused on engineering organ-on-chip platforms to facilitate drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and point-of-care diagnosis and treatment. Outside academic life, Sara enjoys travelling, mountain hiking/climbing, swimming, and flying a Cessna.

Roderick MacLachlan obtained his BSc in Engineering Physics from McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada in 2018. After graduation Roderick began his direct-entry PhD in the Department of Engineering Physics at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Didar and Dr. Soleymani. His current work is focused on the development superhydrophobic surfaces with anti-biofouling and anti-pathogenic properties as well as electrochemical biosensing. Outside of his academic life, Roderick enjoys biking, rock climbing and playing guitar.

Noor Abu Jarad obtained her BSc in Biomedical Engineering from the German Jordanian University in Amman, Jordan in 2017. During her undergrad, she spent 18 months in Germany, whereby she did an exchange semester at Ulm University of Applied Sciences, then an internship at Stryker Company in Freiburg, and finally completed her graduation project at ATMOS Medizintechnik in Lenzkirch. During her bachelor thesis, she constructed an optical fluorescence-based device to facilitate the diagnosis of cervical cancer. Furthermore, she was a student council for one year and the face of the university for four years. She then worked as a research assistant at the German Jordanian University where she researched glucose sensors. Noor is currently pursuing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Didar and Dr. Soleymani. She is a very motivated young biomedical engineer and is excited to be part of the Didar lab.

Fereshteh has a Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering, with a focus on ceramic materials. In her Masters, she looked at the self-assembly of surfactants and its use for synthesizing mesoporous Tin dioxide. After graduation, she worked as a Research Assistant to investigate the structural, magnetic, and photocatalytic properties of doped Zinc and Bismuth Ferrites. Now, she is a PhD student in the School of Biomedical Engineering, co-supervised with Dr. Didar and Dr. Hosseinidoust. In her PhD, she is focused on developing a high throughput phage-based bioassay for diagnostics and screening purposes.

Shadman joined the lab in June 2019 as an undergraduate thesis student. His project involved the development of surface structuring methods to induce biological repellency. He began his direct-entry PhD in September 2020. He is currently working on the development of printable DNAzyme-based bacterial sensors to be implemented onto food packaging, repellent surfaces for biosensing applications and assays that provide improved detection sensitivity for key clinical markers. Outside of his academics, he enjoys watching documentaries, writing poetry and cooking.

Saeid obtained his BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tehran in Iran. During his undergraduate studies and after, he was involved in industrial projects involving analog and digital circuit designs, micro-controllers, and PC software development. He also completed his MSc at the University of Tehran. As a part of his thesis, he developed a system and a biochip for detecting metastatic cancer cells in biopsy fluid (Metas-Chip). He has published several papers and patents in prestigious journals such as Nature Communications and the US Patent office related to cancer detection. Afterward, he worked as an Electronics Engineer developing cancer detection devices. In 2021 he joined the DidarLab as a Ph.D. student and is looking forward to researching and developing microfluidics, cancer diagnosis, and state-of-the-art biomedical devices.

Rana received her bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Balikesir University, Turkey in 2019. After graduation, she has been awarded a job-guaranteed scholarship by the Turkish Ministry of Education for her postgraduate studies in Canada. She would like to expand her knowledge in the field of biology into engineering to have a broader perspective and deep understanding of biomedical applications in diagnostics and therapeutics. As a new member, she is very excited to participate in interdisciplinary research and looks forward to diving into the bionanotechnology world in Didar Lab. In her free time, Rana enjoys hiking, camping, yoga and doing anything that feeds her creativity and curiosity.”

Akansha started as an undergraduate research assistant at the Didar Lab in 2018 and developed a lubricant infused DNAzyme biosensor which detects E. coli in complex fluids like milk. She is now in her fifth and final year of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering through the iBioMed program. She is currently helping to develop food packaging with printable DNAzymes for real-time bacterial detection. Akansha is interested in exploring the intersection between biomedicine and surface modifications in her future studies. In her free time, she enjoys baking, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Lubna is a fifth-year undergraduate student in the Health Engineering Science and Entrepreneurship program. She is conducting her 5th-year thesis project in the Didar Lab. Her research focuses on the development and optimization anti-body or cytokine based bio-sensors for clinical diagnostics purposes using biomolcule printing techniques. Lubna’s future aspirations after graduation are complete graduate studies and become a professor in the biomedical engineering field. Lubna loves adventures and learning, always eager to try new things and explore. Outside of the lab, Lubna enjoys teaching, mentoring, creative writing, art, and reading.

Hannah is a fourth-year undergraduate student at McMaster, in the Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering program. She is an undergraduate student research assistant working on the DNAzyme bacterial sensors for food packaging project. In her free time, Hannah’s hobbies include board games, sewing, and cross-country skiing.

Taylor is in her second year of studies in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at McMaster University, in the Undergraduate iBioMed program. She is currently working under the supervision of Martin Villegas on his project for surface modification of materials to enhance osseointegration and biocompatibility of medical implants. Outside the lab, she is a second-degree black belt in Kan Ryu Jiu Jitsu, and enjoys spending time with friends.

Elise is a second-year undergraduate student in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at McMaster University. She is currently working as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab, under the supervision of Martin Villegas on his project modifying surfaces to enhance osseointegration and biocompatibility of medical implants. Outside of the lab, she loves playing piano, hiking, and paddle boarding.

Jonathan is a third-year student in the Biochemistry – Biomedical Research Specialization. He joined the lab in May 2021, as an NSERC USRA student working with Shadman on the DNAzyme-based biosensing food project. In the future, he wants to explore how he can use biomedical engineering to manipulate the interface between transplant and host in organ transplantation and regenerative medicine. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys cooking, reading horror stories, and swimming.

Kevin is a third-year undergraduate student in the health sciences program at McMaster. He is currently working on optimizing surface modifications that attach DNAzymes to food wrap surfaces. In his free time, Kevin enjoys playing badminton, working out, and playing piano.

Fatima is a 2nd year student in Honours Life Sciences, and she joined the lab in October 2021 as an undergraduate research volunteer. She is working on the development of printable DNAzyme based sensors to be implemented onto food wraps under Shadman’s supervision. Ever since starting in the lab, Fatima has found a special interest in research because she likes the idea of delving deep into one topic and understanding it thoroughly. In her free time, Fatima enjoys running, painting, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Fiorelle is a fourth-year student who started volunteering at the lab in July 2021. Here, under the supervision of Sara Rahmani, he started his research career for his Biomedical Research Specialization in Honours Biochemistry. During the summer, he made organ-on-chip devices that will help explore in-vitro interactions of immune cells in the context of celiac disease, over at the Verdu Lab. His integration into both of these labs has sparked Fiorelle’s interest in bio-technologies and into the field of immunology. Currently, he is working in the Didar Lab under the supervision of Fereshteh Bayat to complete his final year thesis project. He hopes that in the future, he can explore more areas of research, such as that of personalized treatments. In his spare time, Fiorelle likes to listen to music, play video games, and spend as much time outdoors.

Nadine Al-Jabouri is a 4th year undergraduate student in the Health Sciences, Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization program. She joined DidarLab in May, 2022 for her thesis. In her free time she enjoys being outdoors and embroidering.

Inaam Chattha is a third year student in Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization. He was always intrigued by the idea of research and developing novel solutions to everyday problems. In Dr.Didar’s, he is a part of the SQI project which is focused on developing bio-sensors for clinical diagnostics purposes using biomolecules printing techniques. He is involved in automation and optimization of the procedure. In his free time, he loves to play soccer, basketball and watch movies.

Samantha Dacalos is a 3rd year student in the Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization program. She joined DidarLab in May 2022 and is currently working on the SQI project, focusing on conducting profilometry on various samples obtained from microcontact printing, along with optimizing print parameters. In the future, she hopes to further explore the role technology plays within clinical diagnostics. Outside of the lab, she enjoys watching shows, working out, and loves photography.

Hareet Sidhu is a third year student in Biomedical Discovery and Commericalization. She is interested in the relationship between science and innovation. In Dr.Didar’s, she is a part of the SQI project which is focused on developing bio-sensors for clinical diagnostics. She is focused on the print procedure optimization and inkjet printing. In her free time, she likes to read, watch TV shows and explore the outdoors.

Sakina Hussain is a third year Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization (BDC) student working with Didar Labs. She started in June 2022 with the SQI team working primarily on microcontact printing and automation, testing new conditions and parameters to optimize prints. She hopes to introduce these applications to clinical settings in the future. Outside of lab, Sakina enjoys painting, working out and listening to music.

Ali Mohammad is a 3rd-year Biochemistry student. He joined the Didar Lab in September 2022 and is currently exploring different protocols to produce omniphobic sprays that are environmentally friendly, and do not require substances like fluoro silane. Outside the lab, Ali loves to tutor, work out, and watch Netflix. He also loves to travel and hopes to explore the world.

Andrew Tang is a 3rd year student in the Health Sciences program at McMaster. He joined Didar Lab in September 2022 and is currently working under Saeid Nikshoar in his project to develop improved systems to capture and detect immune-to-cancer cell interactions. He hopes to gain valuable hands-on and analytical research skills in the lab, and a better foresight to his research interests. Outside the lab, Andrew enjoys reading, working out, and catching up on sleep.

Nilasha Mohan is a second-year undergraduate student in the Chemical Biology Program. She joined the Didar Lab in January as an undergraduate research volunteer. She is currently working under the supervision of Shadman Khan to incorporate bacteriophages onto food bacterial sensors. She hopes to graduate with the expertise needed to address current and future problems in the biotechnology industry. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and writing poetry.

Manasi is a 4th year student in the Honors Biology program. She is interested in the area where healthcare meets technology and nanobiotechnology. Throughout her time at undergrad, she has come to appreciate the complexity of biology and its applications in medicine and bioengineering. She is especially passionate about the application of science and technology in solving real-world problems within healthcare to make a direct impact in the lives of patients across the world. In Dr. Didar’s lab, she is involved in a droplet-based microfluidic project for cancer immunotherapy. In her free time, Manasi enjoys working out, playing badminton, watching movies and spending time with her dog!

Farbod Azaripour Masooleh is a second-year student in Honours Life Sciences program. He is a curious and outgoing person with a lot of plans for the future which may seem a bit too ambitious to others. He is planning on continuing my education in the medical field as a doctor but, he also want to be able to use biomedical engineering in manufacturing and designing novel equipment and software to make diagnosing and treatment of patients in hospitals easier. In free time he enjoys playing the piano, reading books, watching movies, and hanging out with friends.

Mahum Javed is a third-year student in the iBiomed program, specifically the Health, Engineering Science and Entrepreneurship (HESE) stream. She joined the Didar Lab in January as an undergraduate research volunteer. She is currently working under the supervision of Shadman Khan to incorporate bacteriophages onto food bacterial sensors. She is passionate about improving the status quo in healthcare and is fascinated by how science and engineering often intersect to do just that. She hopes to gain the expertise needed to address current and future problems in healthcare. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and watching television.