Jai Rudra

Jai Rudra is an Associate Professor and Associate Director of Doctoral Studies in Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis's McKelvey School of Engineering. He holds affiliations with the Institute of Materials Science & Engineering and the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences. His research focuses on biomaterials for vaccine development, immunotherapy, and addiction treatment, leveraging nanomaterials to modulate immune responses. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago.

Education:

• PhD, Louisiana Tech University, 2007
• B Tech, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, 2002

Research Interests:

• Design of nano-scale biomaterials (nanofibers, nanoparticles, hydrogels) for immune system engagement
• Vaccine development against tuberculosis, melanoma, flaviviruses (West Nile/Zika), and cocaine addiction
• Collaborations with virologists, immunologists, and clinicians to bridge basic science and clinical applications

Grants & Partnerships:

• Recipient of a grant to develop dementia-preventing vaccines targeting neuroinflammation
• Advancing precision vaccine adjuvants via engineered nanomaterials
• Lead mentor in the Summer Teacher-Researcher Partnership program

Labs & Teams: Directs a multidisciplinary lab focused on biomaterials immunoengineering, collaborating across materials science, immunology, and vaccinology.