Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Lothar Elling is a University Professor and director at the Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Germany. His research focuses on biomaterials, glycoengineering, and enzymatic synthesis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates. Institution: RWTH Aachen University Research Unit: Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Engineering Academic Rank: Full Professor Prof. Elling's research interests include: Glycoengineering of biomaterials Enzymatic synthesis of glycans Glycosyltransferase immobilization Glycan-protein interactions Biocatalytic cascade reactions Biomedical applications of glycomaterials His recent publications demonstrate strong expertise in: - Automated enzymatic glycan synthesis - Multi-enzyme cascade systems for nucleotide sugar production - Glycosyltransferase engineering - Galectin-targeted glycomaterials - Microgel-based biosensors
Pengyu Hong is a Professor of Computer Science at Brandeis University's Michtom School of Computer Science and an affiliated faculty member at the Benjamin and Mae Volen National Center for Complex Systems. His expertise spans Machine Learning, Bioinformatics, Materials Science, and FinTech, with a focus on interdisciplinary applications in healthcare, molecular biology, and complex systems analysis. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign M.E. in Computer Science, Tsinghua University B.Eng. in Computer Science, Tsinghua University Research Interests: Hong's lab develops advanced machine learning techniques for analyzing heterogeneous data (images, text, financial data), with notable contributions in glycomaterials analysis, clinical outcome prediction, and active nematics modeling. His work bridges computational methods with biomedical and material science challenges, including NMR spectroscopy analysis and molecular property prediction. Publications: Recent work focuses on machine learning applications in glycan sequencing, fairness analysis in medical algorithms, and optical flow techniques for fluid dynamics. The lab also maintains benchmark datasets like GlycoNMR for carbohydrate analysis. Labs & Teams: Hong leads research at the Volen National Center for Complex Systems, integrating computational approaches with experimental systems biology and materials science.
Andrew Lowell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), affiliated with the College of Science. His research focuses on natural products, biosynthetic enzymes, and their application in developing new antibiotics. He leads the Lowell Lab, which investigates enzymatic catalysts for drug synthesis and combats antibiotic resistance through innovative strategies like bidentate antibiotics. Education: B.S. Chemistry, Washington State University, 2003 M.S./Ph.D. Organic Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 2008 Visiting Scholar, University of Pennsylvania, 2009–2012 Postdoctoral Fellow, Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, 2012–2018 Research Interests: The Lowell group explores natural product discovery, biosynthetic pathway elucidation, and biocatalyst-driven chemical synthesis. Key areas include engineering antibiotic candidates (e.g., blasticidin S derivatives), optimizing pleuromutilin-based drugs, and designing bidentate antibiotics to tackle resistant pathogens like MRSA. They integrate organic chemistry, molecular biology, and computational methods to advance drug development. Publications Trends: Recent work emphasizes semisynthetic antibiotic optimization, polyketide synthase engineering, and computational drug design. Key topics include thermorubin synthesis, pleuromutilin epimers, and ribosomal binding studies. Awards: Travel Award, Future of Bioscience (2017) University of Michigan Outstanding Postdoctoral Award (2014–2015) Gardner Stacey Research Endowment (2002–2003) Lab & Future Work: The Lowell Lab at Virginia Tech prioritizes bidentate antibiotic development and enzymatic pathway interrogation. They collaborate on imaging probes for atherosclerosis and investigate glycomaterials with inherent antibacterial properties.
Dr. Sumati Bhatia is a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Swansea University's Faculty of Science and Engineering, specializing in biomacromolecular chemistry and glycomaterials research. Her work focuses on engineering glycomaterials to combat various pathogens including Influenza A viruses, SARS-CoV-2, Herpes Simplex virus, E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. With over 40 research articles and 7 patent applications, she leads an active research program at the intersection of chemistry, biology, physics, and emerging technologies. Her research interests center on developing glyco-based synthetic tools to gain experimental insights into infection-related processes. Dr. Bhatia's expertise spans glycomaterials, antimicrobials, polymer chemistry, drug delivery systems, sustainable chemistry, and biomacromolecules. She actively pursues interdisciplinary collaborations, particularly exploring how AI and machine learning can enhance pathogen inhibition strategies. Her work bridges fundamental chemical principles with practical biomedical applications, focusing on multivalent inhibitor design for pathogen neutralization. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on glyco-engineered materials for pathogen inhibition, with particular emphasis on influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2, and bacterial pathogens. Her research demonstrates sophisticated understanding of multivalent binding principles, nanomaterial design, and structure-activity relationships in pathogen inhibition. The work spans from fundamental studies of binding forces to applied therapeutic development, with increasing integration of nanotechnology approaches. Scientific Awards and Recognition: 2024-2025: Research grant from the Royal Society of Chemistry 2024-2027: Research grant from Novo Nordisk Foundation for pandemic anti-influenza drug development 2022: Research-based teaching award from Berlin University Alliance 2022: Shortlisted for the Reimund Stadler Prize 2021: Selected for ProFiL programme for professionalization of women in research and teaching Dr. Bhatia is actively involved in postgraduate supervision and has secured substantial research funding including grants from the German Science Foundation (2021-2024) and Berlin University Alliance (2020-2021). Her international collaborations span Germany, UK, USA, France, Spain, Mexico, and India, reflecting the global impact of her work. She maintains strong industry connections through her research on practical therapeutic applications of glycomaterials. Her laboratory focuses on developing innovative glyco-based materials for pathogen inhibition, with particular emphasis on multivalent binding principles. The research group employs interdisciplinary approaches combining synthetic chemistry, biophysical characterization, and biological testing to develop next-generation antimicrobial and antiviral materials. Current projects include development of pandemic-ready anti-influenza therapeutics and novel materials for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Prof. Laura Hartmann is a Full Professor of Active Soft Matter at the Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Freiburg. She holds dual roles as Principal Investigator and Coordinator of Research Area B within the livMatS (Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems) cluster. Her expertise spans synthesis of complex polymers, biomimetic polymers for biomedical applications, self-assembling materials, and sustainable polymers. She leads projects such as 'Bottom-up design of adaptive materials from redox responsive building blocks'. Her research focuses on developing stimuli-responsive materials with applications in controlled drug delivery and sustainable chemistry. She supervises four doctoral researchers and one postdoctoral researcher. Her recent publications highlight innovations in recyclable solid-phase synthesis and dual-responsive glycomaterials. Education: Not explicitly stated in text. Labs/Teams: Active in the Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry and contributes to the livMatS cluster's interdisciplinary projects. Grants/Awards: No specific grants or awards mentioned.
Gregory Hudalla, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Integra LifeSciences Term Professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida. He also serves as the Graduate Coordinator. His research focuses on developing functional nanomaterials through molecular self-assembly for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Key projects include glycosylated nanofibers targeting galectins and catalytic nanomedicines anchored to tissues via extracellular carbohydrates. Education: B.S., Chemical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, 2004 M.S./Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, 2006/2010 NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow, Surgery, University of Chicago, 2013 Research Interests: Dr. Hudalla designs peptides that self-assemble into nanofibers to organize biologically active molecules. His work targets immune modulation for autoimmune diseases and inflammation, with applications in nanomedicine and biomaterials. Recent advancements include glycomaterials for immunotherapy and enzyme-retaining hydrogels. Awards: Integra LifeSciences Term Professor (2023–2025) NSF CAREER Award (2015) Teaching Excellence Award (2015) Advising & Grants: As Graduate Coordinator, he oversees doctoral training. His lab has secured funding from the NIBIB and NSF, supporting research on supramolecular biomaterials and immune engineering. Labs: The Hudalla Lab, located in the Biomedical Sciences Building, focuses on translating peptide-based nanomaterials into clinical therapies.
Sarah Morgan is Bennett Distinguished Professor and Associate Director of the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her career includes 14 years at GE Plastics prior to academia. Research focuses on controlling morphology in bioinspired polymer systems, high-performance nanocomposites, and functional glycomaterials. Funded projects span biomedical applications (amyloid-β interactions), military materials, and molecular optoelectronics.
Lohitash Karumbaiah is a Professor in the Department of Animal and Dairy Science at the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He joined UGA in 2013 as an Assistant Professor, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2019, and became a full Professor in 2025. He serves as director of the Translational Glycomaterials and Neural Repair Laboratory and holds multiple affiliations across UGA research centers. Regenerative Bioscience Center Program Faculty and Steering Committee Member UGA Cancer Center Program Faculty Member UGA Neuroscience Program Faculty Member UGA Bio-Imaging Research Center – Associate Director of Animal Imaging UGA NSF CMaT Engineering Research Center Site – Testbed 2 Co-Lead Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Partnership – Executive Board Member Dr. Karumbaiah's research focuses on developing novel glycomaterials that regulate growth factor binding, stem cell maintenance, and neural tissue repair. His laboratory pioneered the development of the first tissue-engineered glycomaterial 'brain glue' for traumatic brain injury treatment and demonstrated the use of insulin excipients for treating Glioblastoma. His work has been featured in prominent media outlets including NPR and UGA Today. The Karumbaiah lab currently explores glycomaterials for brain repair after injury and therapeutic approaches to block brain tumor invasion, with ongoing research focused on overcoming therapeutic delivery bottlenecks and developing clinically translatable strategies. Analysis of Dr. Karumbaiah's recent publications reveals a strong focus on glycomaterials for neural repair, brain tumor microenvironment modeling, and innovative approaches to CAR-T cell therapy for glioblastoma. His work bridges engineering, neuroscience, and clinical applications, with particular emphasis on creating physiologically relevant models for testing therapeutic interventions. The research demonstrates consistent progression from fundamental glycomaterial development to sophisticated in vitro and in vivo testing platforms. 2024 CAES Alumni Award of Excellence, University of Georgia 2023 Appointed member of Bioengineering of Neuroscience and Vision Technologies (BNVT) NIH Study Section 2022 Student Career Success Influencer Award, University of Georgia 2020 UGA Faculty Innovation Fellow 2019 UGA Aspire Fellow 2017 Best Early-Stage Investigator Abstract Award, 12th World Congress on Brain Injury 2016 Southern Translational Education and Research (STaR) Young Investigator Award Dr. Karumbaiah has successfully mentored numerous undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral trainees into research and industry positions worldwide. His research is supported by significant funding from federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and National Science Foundation, as well as nonprofit foundations. Current projects include developing a perfusable multi-niche glioblastoma-on-chip platform and investigating cerebrovascular dysfunction after traumatic brain injury. He teaches courses including RBIO 8220 as primary instructor and provides guest lectures for several other neuroscience and regenerative bioscience courses. The Translational Glycomaterials and Neural Repair Laboratory operates at the intersection of glycomaterials engineering, neural tissue repair, and cancer therapeutics. The lab has developed specialized platforms including the AutoRG motor function assessment system and glioblastoma-on-chip models for therapeutic testing, creating a comprehensive ecosystem for translational neuroscience research.
Professor Matthew I. Gibson holds a joint appointment between the University of Warwick's Department of Chemistry and Warwick Medical School . A Royal Society Industry Research Fellow and ERC Consolidator Grant recipient, he leads the iCASE Scheme at the MRC-funded Doctoral Training Center and co-founded CryoLogyx Ltd. Education MChem, 1st Class (2003), University of Durham PhD in Macromolecular Chemistry (2007), University of Durham Postdoc, EPFL (2007-2009) Research focuses on glycosciences and biomaterials for cryopreservation, infection detection, and cell surface modification. His group develops glycosylated nanomaterials and ice recrystallization inhibitors with applications in cell therapy storage and diagnostics. Current projects include the EU-funded Nanocarb and ICE_PACK (ERC) initiatives. Selected Publications address glycomaterial selectivity (2021, JACS Au), polymer-enhanced ice control (2021, JACS), cyclic ice-binding peptides (2021, Nature), and glycosylated nanoparticle diagnostics (2022, Chemical Society Reviews). Key keywords: Glycobiology, Biomimetic Materials, Polymer Nanotechnology, Antifreeze Proteins Scientific Awards include the McBain Medal , RSC Emerging Technology Prize , and multiple Young Investigator recognitions from Biomacromolecules and MacroGroupUK. Teaching includes modules on polymers, glycosciences, and living polymerization. He (co-)supervises 15+ PhD students in glyconanomaterials, cryoprotectants, and cell engineering projects.
