Participants

DEREK DASHTI

Derek grew up in California and obtained both his B.S. and M.S. in Bioengineering at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco. His undergraduate and graduate research at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco focused on regenerative medicine - specifically in stem cell tissue engineering of the muscle and heart. Importantly, Derek's masters training further emphasized on translational medicine and understanding the regulatory processes to develop novel regenerative medical therapies from the "bench side to bedside." The IGERT Bioinnovation PhD program at Tulane extends his education in the innovative field of translational medicine. Distinctively, it will elucidate the mechanisms and resources he needs to succeed in expediting his research interests to the biotech market. After Derek's IGERT training, he aims to not only be a successful scientist in his research field of interest, but also become well versed in advancing novel biomedical therapies from academia to industry.

KAROLINA KOSAKOWSKA

Karolina is from Stamford, CT by way of the rich farmlands of Poland. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Chemistry at Smith College in 2011 where she did extensive organic chemistry research in small molecule synthesis. Karolina was able to develop her interest in medicinal chemistry through an internship at Biogen IDEC in cancer drug synthesis. After vacationing in New Orleans as an undergraduate, Karolina was smitten by the city and its charms. She is now proud to call New Orleans home, where she is now exploring her interest in curing meats.

NICHOLAS PASHOS

Nick is a New Hampshire native. He attended Drexel University, located in Philadelphia, PA, where he earned a B.S. in biomedical engineering with a concentration in biomaterials and tissue engineering. Nick is interested in pursuing regenerative medicine research. He was most attracted to the IGERT Bioinnovation Program for its research initiatives, and its crossover to business and FDA through coursework and externship opportunities.