Our Team
Lab Director
Dr. Zhijie Wang is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University. She received her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from State University of New York at Buffalo in 2008, her M.S. in mechanical engineering from State University of New York at Buffalo in 2004, and B.S. in biomedical engineering from Zhejiang University in 2001. Her research interests include cardiovascular tissue biomechanics and mechanobiology, viscoelasticity of cardiovascular tissues, multi-scale biomechanics (from tissue to organ systems), tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and preclinical animal models and/or patient studies.
Graduate Students
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Portland
Kristen is from Seattle, Washington. She is a current Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She received her B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Portland. Kristen joined the CVB lab in Fall 2020. Her dissertation work focuses on the characterization of right ventricular passive viscoelasticity and, more specifically, on the contributions of cardiomyocytes and collagen to the mechanical properties of the tissue.
B.S., Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, 2022
B.E., Biomedical Engineering PSG College of Technology, India
Abinaya is from India. She completed her B.E., at the PSG College of Technology in India. Abinaya is currently working towards her masters of engineering in biomedical engineering.
Undergraduate Students
Katie is from Kailua, Hawaii and is an undergraduate student pursuing a dual degree in mechanical and biomedical engineering with a concentration in veterinary medicine. She is also a part of the University Honors Program. As an undergraduate researcher, Katie assists with the study of the pulmonary artery and right heart.
Brandyn is from Greeley, Colorado and is currently an undergraduate student pursuing his degree in mechanical engineering. He started working in the lab in the summer of 2022. In the lab, he assists with biaxial cyclic data analysis, stress relaxation data analysis, and collagen area fraction analysis.
Declan is an undergraduate honors student from Minneapolis, Minnesota studying biomedical and mechanical engineering. Declan assists with the study of collagen content and orientation in the right heart.
Olivia is from Edwards, Colorado and is an undergraduate student pursuing a dual degree in biomedical and mechanical engineering. She is also a part of the University Honors Program. Olivia started working in the lab in the fall of 2022. In the lab, she assists with biaxial cyclic data analysis and stress relaxation data analysis.
Alumni
Ph.D., Bioengineering, Colorado State University, 2022
M.E., Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, 2018
B.S., Pharmaceutical Engineering, Wuchang University of Technology, 2015
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, 2022
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, 2021
Ph.D., Bioengineering, Colorado State University, 2022
B.S., Biomedical Engineering, UC Davis, 2017
B.S., Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, 2022
B.S., Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, 2022
B.S., Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, 2022
- Brian Funfgeld, M.E., Biomedical Engineering, 2019
- Elisabeth (Lizzy) Gray, B.S., Chemical & Biological Engineering, 2019
- Tyler Parker, B.S., Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, 2019
- Collin Dieckgraeff, B.S., Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, 2018