Mo Ebrahimkhani, M.D.​
Principle Investigator
Mo Ebrahimkhani is an Associate Professor at Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh. Prior to his current position he was an assistant professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering at Arizona State University and adjunct faculty of medicine at Mayo Clinic. He performed his Postdoctoral training at Department of Biological Engineering in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Mo has an M.D. degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and was awarded a European Association for Study of Liver Sheila Sherlock fellowship to investigate regenerative processes at University College London. His lab combines human stem cells, synthetic biology and in vivo mouse models to understand tissue development and regeneration and develop technologies to modulate these processes in a personalized fashion. Mo is the recipient of several research awards including RO1s from NIH, Mayo Clinic accelerated regenerative medicine award and New Investigator Award from Arizona Biomedical Research Council.
Wioletta Musekamp (Assistant to PI) 
​Wioletta Musekamp received her diploma in business administration (M.A. equivalent) from European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany. She also holds a master’s degree in European Studies. Prior to moving to the United States, she worked as Department Coordinator at the Center for Key Competences and Research-oriented Learning at European University Viadrina. Wioletta has lived and worked in Poland, Germany, Missouri, and Texas. She enjoys traveling, reading, and good movies.

Jeremy Velazquez

Jeremy is a graduate student in the Cellular and Molecular Pathology program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, pursuing his Ph.D. studies in our lab. He graduated from MIT in 2012 with a B.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering.  He worked as a technical assistant for two and a half years in Professor Linda Griffith’s lab, where he worked on multiple projects including human physiome-on-a-chip, biomaterial development for improvement of liver cell culture, and an NSF- funded project for the study of emergent behavior of integrated cellular systems. Here at Pitt, he works on designing and integrating synthetic genetic circuits into stem cells to control their fate and function.  Specifically, he is interested in investigating ways to use modular, extrinsically and intrinsically responsive genetic switches to develop self-vascularizing liver organoids. He enjoys playing volleyball, video editing, hiking, gaming, and singing alone in the TC room (poorly).

​Ryan LeGraw

​Ryan is a PhD student in the Cellular and Molecular Pathology program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.  After graduating from Northwestern University in 2014 with a BS in Chemical Engineering he worked as a research technician for two years in the laboratory of Dr. Hanno Hock in the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.  At MGH, he worked on projects investigating the role of ETV6 in hematopoiesis and specifically in vivo murine B cell development. At Pitt Ryan works on the development pluripotent stem cell-based liver organoid models using synthetic gene circuits and their application for ex vivo hematopoiesis.  He enjoys playing guitar, live music, podcasts, Boston sports, running, and hiking.​
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Joshua Hislop

Joshua Hislop is a graduate student pursuing his Ph.D in Bioengineering with a focus on Molecular, Cellular, and Systems Engineering. He graduated from Arizona State University in 2018 with a BS in Biomedical Engineering. He is working on projects investigating cell fate decisions as well as synthetic biology based tissue patterning during development. Joshua's goal is to integrate synthetic biology, neural development and network creation to eventually apply this approach towards the creation of biologically-based novel neural interface devices. Outside of lab, Josh enjoys playing board and card games, creating adventures for his Dungeons and Dragons group, camping, backpacking, and honing his skills as a third degree black belt in taekwondo.​
Jing Zhang
Jing is a PhD student in the Molecular Genetics and Developmental Biology program at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine. She graduated from Capital Normal University in 2018 with a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences. Then she studied at UC Davis, where she worked with Diabetes for two years and graduated with a M.S. degree in Molecular Cellular and Integrative Physiology. At UPitt, she is interested in design self-timed genetic circuits and apply them to stem cell to generate liver organoids. Outside lab, Jing enjoys watching movies, trying new food traveling, and photography.

Mohammad Taheri

Mohammad is a graduate student pursuing his PhD in bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh with focus on Molecular, cellular and systems engineering. Previously, he worked on engineering the secretory system of E. coli using a synthetic molecular switch to create a new approach for high-yield recombinant protein production. In the course of his PhD, according to a biologically inspired engineering approach, he develops new technologies including smart living devices for control and programing of biological systems in vitro and in vivo.

​Mattew Rytel

​A Pittsburgh native, Matt received his bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Biology from Brown University in 2020. Matt was a varsity soccer player in college, and graduated with honors in his concentration, Sigma XI honors in research, and magna cum laude. As an undergraduate, Matt worked with Dr. Pamela Moalli of the Magee Women’s Research Institute, where he studied the immune response to surgical meshes, uncovering an inverse relationship between Tregs and fibrosis around the biomaterial. Subsequently, Matt interned at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, where he worked on developing a probiotic with Dr. Steven Little. At Brown, Matt studied the impact of Agent Orange exposure on the epigenome of Vietnam War veterans in Dr. Karl Kelsey’s lab. Now, for his postbaccalaureate time before pursuing a career in medicine, Matt is working as a technical assistant in the engineered liver organoid team. Outside of the lab, Matt enjoys playing guitar, skiing, cycling, hiking, cooking, and gardening.
Rayna Schoenberger
​Rayna is an undergraduate student pursuing a major in bioengineering and a minor in chemistry. She will be researching the integration of landing pad sites into induced pluripotent stem cell genomes to facilitate liver organoid experimentation. 
She is incredibly excited to explore synthetic biology and regenerative medicine and to contribute to the development of new therapeutic treatments and scientific tools. 
Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons, hanging out with friends, dancing, and reading.

​Alex Hill

​Alex is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a BS in Bioengineering. He is interested in tissue engineering and synthetic biology, and the application of these fields towards developmental research and medicine. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing board and card games, and playing casual sports with friends.
Malini Harinath
Malini is an undergraduate student majoring in bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Malini hopes to eventually work in the field of medicine and contribute to the development of various therapies and treatments utilizing synthetic biology. Research Interest: Synthetic developmental biology and mechanism behind cell fate determination. Malini enjoys dancing, reading, and exploring new places. 
Jack Latella
Jack is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh obtaining a degree in Bioengineering and a minor in Chemistry. He aims to pursue a Ph.D in bioengineering with a focus on synthetic biology and genetic engineering. His research interests include synthetic biology and regenerative medicine. When not working he likes to ski, do blacksmithing, and travel to new places.

Chris Deschler

Chris is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a BS in Bioengineering and a Chemistry minor. His main research interests include tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. He hopes to apply these fields to liver organoid development. Outside of research, Chris enjoys exercising, playing video games, and spending time with friends.
Rithika Sankar
Rithika is a PhD student in the Integrative Systems Biology program at the University of Pittsburgh. She graduated from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India in 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Technology in Genetic Engineering. Then she worked at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, India on understanding systemic and cellular consequences of changes in intracellular calcium levels  for two years. At Pitt, she is interested in exploring questions in the field of  stem cell, synthetic biology and regenerative medicine. Outside of lab she enjoys dancing, teaching and lots of reading!
Amanda Suda
Amanda is a PhD student in the Integrative Systems Biology program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She graduated in 2021 with a M.S in Biomedical Sciences from University of Pittsburgh, where she worked under Dr. Pamela Moalli analyzing vaginal myofibroblast response to polypropylene prolapse mesh complications. In 2019, she graduated with a B.S. in Biology, a minor in chemistry, and a B.A. in Anthropology with Magna Cum Laude honors from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Outside of the lab she enjoys running, hiking, and climbing in the gym.
Honorary member

Hero,
Our Honorary member of the SKMO lab! 
Hero is interested in science from early on AND he is very energetic, hard working and always ready for fun activities. You can't make him tired!