As a woman with decades of experience in the science industry, ReNetX’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Erika Smith has been called “bossy” more than a few times. She has started to cut “my apologies” from her emails. And she’s ready to help others learn how to navigate the male-dominated world of STEM Entrepreneurship.
Cel Welch grew up with an inquiring mind and a thirst for knowledge. Having always “really loved science,” by the end of middle school, they had their sights set on becoming a scientist. Now, that dream is a reality: Cel is a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford, having completed their dissertation in Biomedical Engineering in December 2023.
Dr. Deanna Stueber started her journey at Brown in 2016 as a Master’s student in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. Eight years later, she will culminate her experience as a Brown graduate student as a PhD commencement speaker later this month.
Adriana Coll De Peña wears many hats — she’s a wildlife photographer, a scientist at Moderna, and an advocate for Chicano, Hispanic, and Native American STEM students. Born in the Dominican Republic, where there were “great health disparities,” Adriana “identified early on that I wanted to pursue a career in a field that would allow me” to have a meaningful impact on solving those problems.
Growing up in Bangladesh, Dr. Ramisa Fariha was only in seventh grade when she learned about the Biomedical Engineering research being conducted at Brown — it was Dr. Jeff Morgan’s work with artificial mice ovaries that inspired her to pursue BME. “It was like I had my entire life trajectory gifted to me in the form of ‘biomedical engineering,’” she said.
After completing her PhD in Brown’s Biomedical Engineering program Dr. Josephine Kalshoven feels like “the world is my oyster.” Josephine plans to pursue a career in the medical devices industry, and the possibilities for making a positive impact through the field are endless. “I really do think medical devices are the future for health,” she said.
I-BEAM Retreat
The spirit of accomplishment and the promise of a bright future were palpable as the I-BEAM community gathered for the Spring Retreat on May 16.
Last month, Dr. Marissa Gray led “Ask Me Anything: BME Careers,” an informal event and discussion aimed at answering students’ questions about job opportunities in Biomedical Engineering. Targeted at all students – from first-year undergraduates to Ph.D candidates – Gray offered advice and strategies ready for immediate implementation.
Christopher (Chris) Shin, Paul Ogan, Tobias (Toby) Meng-Saccoccio, Albert Wu, Evrim Ozcan, and Venkatsai (Shri) Bellala are a team of seniors in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. They’ve known each other since freshman year. Now, in their BME Capstone, they are working together to alter the future of emergency drug delivery.