STEM Supporters
Laila Abu-Lail
Chemical Engineering Department & CEAE
Dr. Abu-Lail is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at WPI. She teaches the senior laboratory courses “Unit operations in chemical engineering” in which students gain an understanding of the design and optimization of chemical processes. Her research focuses on removing emergent contaminants from water. She was lucky to grow up in a family (having a brother who is a math teacher and 4 sisters that are engineers) that appreciates STEM education, so it was natural that she follows this path. This experience motivates her to inspire and teach young people who are less fortunate especially females. Coming from Jordan, one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, with an extremely limited freshwater supplies, sparked her interest in water treatment.
Christina Bailey-Hytholt & Elizabeth Stewart
Biomedical Engineering Department
Christina Bailey Hytholt
My research focus areas include biomaterials, drug and gene delivery, and diagnostics. In my research lab, we apply concepts including lipid and polymeric material assembly, molecular interaction studies, and engineering cellular microenvironments. We use these skills to address critical unmet needs, particularly in the area of women’s health. The goals of my research include improving the understanding of pharmaceutical and environmental toxicant interacts at the maternal-fetal interface, developing techniques that lead to early and non-invasive prenatal diagnostics, and formulating therapeutics for a range of conditions impacting women’s health.
Elizabeth Stewart
My research utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to explore and exploit the physical properties of biological soft matter systems. Through investigating the biophysical properties of cells, multicellular communities and their microenvironments, my group seeks to reveal connections between the physical properties of living systems and their disease states and to utilize these findings to develop biological control strategies, therapeutics and diagnostics. We are particularly focused on using our soft matter approach to address bacterial infection prevention and control.
Kateryna Friedman
Physics
Dr. Kateryna Kushnir Friedman is an Assistant Research Professor of Physics at WPI, where her work bridges optical spectroscopy, nanomaterials, and physics education. Her research focuses on ultrafast optical and THz spectroscopy of bio- and nanomaterials for applications in photonics, renewable energy, and therapeutics. She also designs and teaches introductory physics courses, incorporating Physics Education Research (PER) to create integrated, hands-on learning experiences.
Dr. Kushnir Friedman earned her Ph.D. in Physics from WPI, investigating carrier dynamics in 2D materials. She completed postdoctoral research at the University of Vermont, where she built and operated advanced spectroscopy systems to study nanoscale interactions. Her background also includes a strong foundation in theoretical physics, with M.S. and B.S. degrees from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She is passionate about early undergraduate research and fostering inclusive, experiential learning environments.
Samruddhi Naukudkar
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Robotics Engineering Graduate Students
Robotics Engineering Department
Jessica Rosewitz
Civil, Engineering and Architectural Engineering
Dr. Jessica Rosewitz draws upon a wealth of past experiences to inform her teaching and advising, industry and community engagement, and project-based education, with a focus on continual improvement of engineering education at all levels. She brings together students with local companies to enrich their academic project experiences, and her dedication to early engineering education drives her outreach with local vocational schools, community organizations, and pre-K-12 programs. Her goal is to provide an outstanding practical classroom education with opportunity to solidify understanding of theory. Not to be confused with her other job: she is a mother of two young children, a lifelong soccer lover and player, and a newly minted Kindergarten soccer coach.
Scarlett Shell
Biology and Biotechnology
My research is motivated by two things: my desire to help reduce the impact of infectious diseases on humanity, and my love for understanding how living organisms work. So, my lab studies the inner workings of pathogenic bacteria to better understand how they do things like survive antibiotics and tolerate stressful conditions. Some of my favorite moments are when we make a new discovery and realize we know something that no human has ever known before! When I’m not working, one of my favorite things is spending time outdoors with my kids and my partner.
