CURRENT TEAM
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
UT Austin
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Advika Kamatar (she/her)
Project: A joint effort between Dr. Sapun Parekh's lab and Dr. Jeanne Stachowiak's lab to investigate the biophysical role that lipid droplets could play in the aggregation and fibrillation of alpha-synuclein, a protein that forms fibrils in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Sowon Kang (she/her)
Project: Analyzing the dye uptake of the cell in regards to the nucleus shape.
LAB ALUMNI
Mohini Kamra (2025)
Role in Lab: Postdoc
Current Role: Assistant Professor, University of South Alabama
Christian Jennings (2025)
Role in Lab: PhD Student
Current Role: Optical Engineering, Rockefeller University
Audrey Livingston (2024)
Role in Lab: Undergraduate Student
BS - Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Current Role: Engineer at SpaceX.
Alexandra Paul (2023)
Role in Lab: Postdoc
PhD - Biological Engineering, Chalmers Univ. of Technology
Current Role: Technical Support Engineer, PerkinElmer
Daniel Wang (2022)
Role in Lab: Undergraduate Student
BS - Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Current Role: Medical Student, Creighton University
Sachin Kumar (2021)
Role in Lab: Postdoc
PhD - Biomaterials, IISc Bangalore
Current Role: Assistant Professor at IIT Delhi
Naomi Calhoun (2021)
Role in Lab: Summer REU Student
Current Role: Bachelor's Student: Howard University
Sayantan Chaterjee (2021)
Role in Lab: Postdoc
Current Role: Research Associate: Stachowiak Lab UT Austin
Xiao Ling (2018)
Role in Lab: PhD Student
Current Role: Research Scientist: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Frederik Fleissner (2017)
Role in Lab: PhD Student
Current Role: Senior Scientist: Merck
Miriam Koldevitz (2017)
Role in Lab: Diploma Student
Current Role: Chemist: Dottikon Exclusive Synthesis
Aleksandr Barulin (2016)
Role in Lab: Summer Intern
Current Role: Masters Student: Europhotonics
Jang Hyuk Lee (2016)
Role in Lab: Postdoc
Current Role: Research Fellow: Boppart Lab, UIUC
Shruti Pattanaik (2015)
Role in Lab: Summer Intern
Current Role: PhD Student: TU Munich
Will Rock (2015)
Role in Lab: Postdoc
Current Role: Senior Application Specialist: Headwall
Gustav Waschatko (2014)
Role in Lab: Postdoc
Current Role: COO Time Traveling Milkman
Henriette Jaurich (2013)
Role in Lab: Bachelors Student
Current Role: Masters Student: Rice University
Madison Pickett (2025)
Role in Lab: PhD Student
Current Role: Senior Analyst at Health Advances
Jacob Baker
Role in Lab: PhD Student
Current Role: GRA, Yang Lab.
Mateusz Brzezinski
Role in Lab: PhD Student
Current Role: Postdoc, Polish Academy of Sciences.
Kelsey Varodom (2023)
Role in Lab: Undergraduate Student
BS - Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Current Role: TMedical school at UT Southwestern.
Yujen Wang (2022)
Role in Lab: PhD Student
Current Role: Account Manager at Zuu Kong Electric Co.
Natasha Nehra (2022)
Role in Lab: Undergraduate Student
BS - Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Current Role: AI/ML Engineer, Medtronic
Hasan Heyadati(2022)
Role in Lab: Postdoc
PhD - Chemical Engineering, Colorado State University
Current Role: Senior Scientist, Danaher Corporation
Arsalan Nisar(2021)
Role in Lab: PostBac
BS - Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Current Role: MPH Student
Leah Gutzwiller (2021)
Role in Lab: Summer REU Student
Current Role: Bachelor's Student: UT Knoxville
Mischa Schwendy (2019)
Role in Lab: PhD Student
Current Role: Postdoc with Dirk Grimm: University of Heidelberg
Samet Varol (2017)
Role in Lab: PhD Student
Current Role: Humbolt Fellow: University of Bologna
Anchit Srivastava (2017)
Role in Lab: Summer Intern
Current Role: PhD Student: University of Koln
Zahra Rastian (2016)
Role in Lab: Visiting Postdoc
Current Role:
Ravi Dhiman (2016. 2018)
Role in Lab: Summer Intern
Current Role: PhD Student: Uniklinik Saarland
Nils Billecke (2015)
Role in Lab: Postdoc
Current Role: Senior Nutrition Scientist: Cargill
Christian Malm (2015)
Role in Lab: Diploma Student
Current Role: PhD Student: Hunger Lab, Max Planck Institute
Gerrit Best (2015)
Role in Lab: Postdoc
Current Role: Imaging Scientist: Continental
Sascha Schwendy (2013)
Role in Lab: Technical Intern
Current Role: Chemical Analyst: BASF
Gianluca Rago (2013)
Role in Lab: Inherited PhD Student
Current Role: Director of Strategy: Nike
OPEN POSITIONS
We are hiring graduate students and Postdoctoral fellows on the following topics:
1. Nonlinear microscopy and spectroscopy
2. Imaging molecular structure and mechanics in liquid-liquid phase separation in neurodegeneration (in collaboration with Jasper Michels (MPIP), Edward Lemke (EMBL/Mainz), and Nick Fawzi (Brown))
3. Imaging protein structure in cells and biomaterials under mechanical deformation
Please contact Sapun Parekh (sparekh@utexas.edu) with your CV, letter of motivation (<1 page), and a list of references.
* Prospective graduate students not currently enrolled at UT Austin MUST apply via the UT BME graduate program through the Graduate School. If you are interested in a PhD degree from the Max Planck Institute, please contact Sapun Parekh directly.