Abigail N. KoppesView profile
Associate Professor
Abigail N. Koppes is an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University, with affiliations in Bioengineering and the Cross-College Magnetics Center. Her Advanced Biomaterials for NeuroEngineering Laboratory (ABNEL) focuses on bioelectric medicine, nerve regeneration, and organ-on-a-chip systems for gut-brain axis modeling. She holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2007-2013). Research interests include developing biomaterials and biophysical interventions (e.g., optogenetics, magnetic stimulation) to engineer neural therapies and recapitulate complex biological systems like the enteric nervous system. Notable projects involve neural-guided repair of spinal injuries, gut-on-a-chip platforms for drug discovery, and chronic inflammation modeling. Koppes has secured NIH Trailblazer and NSF CAREER awards, alongside the Rita Schaffer Young Investigator recognition. Her lab integrates techniques from chemical engineering, materials science, and molecular biology to address disorders such as irritable bowel diseases and neurodegenerative conditions. She mentors PhD students (e.g., Bryan Schellberg, Kyla Kaiser) and leads interdisciplinary grants, including NASA-funded neurovascular systems. Recent work includes modeling Sjögren’s syndrome gut-brain axis dysfunction and exploring long-COVID impacts through organ-chip platforms. Koppes collaborates on PEAK undergraduate research programs and has been featured in media for her contributions to bioelectric medicine and personal insights on long-COVID challenges in academia. The ABNEL lab’s innovations span neural engineering, gut-organoid systems, and magnetic stimulation therapies.






