Team
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor, Bioengineering, Rice University
Core member, Rice Neuroengineering Initiative
x@rice.edu, x=jszab
Training:
B.Sc. Biological Engineering, MIT
Ph.D. Bioengineering, Caltech
research field: Chemical Biology, Dervan lab
Postdoc, Chemical Engineering, Shapiro lab, Caltech
Awards (selected):
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Renaissance Philanthropy BiTS Fellow
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Sloan Research Fellowship (Chemistry)
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NIH Director's New Innovator Award
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Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering
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DARPA Young Faculty Award
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NIH NIBIB Trailblazer
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NARSAD Young Investigator
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Dr. Joe G. Hollyfield New Investigator Award for Macular Degeneration Research, Bright Focus Foundation
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Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award (Rice University)
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Bauer fellowship
Jerzy Szablowski, Ph.D. [CV] [06/03/2026]

Bio: Jerzy O. Szablowski is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Rice University and a core member of the Neuroengineering Initiative. His research focuses on noninvasive neuroengineering, bridging the gap between molecular biology and hardware tools to monitor and control the living brain. He is currently developing mechanism-agnostic drug delivery platforms and pioneered the creation of Released Markers of Activity (RMA) that enable spatially targeted, circuit-specific readout of gene expression with 5 microliters (a single drop) of blood. As the co-founder and CEO of Imprint Bio, he translates these deep-tech platforms into therapeutic applications for nervous system disorders. His laboratory’s research is supported by a robust portfolio of funding, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) New Innovator Award (DP2, R01, R21), Sloan Research Fellowship, ARIA, the Packard Fellowship, and the DARPA Young Faculty Award. He received his Ph.D. in Bioengineering and postdoctoral training in chemical engineering and noninvasive neuromodulation at Caltech, following a B.Sc. in Biological Engineering from MIT.
Postdoctoral fellows

Kritika Sood, Ph.D.
Bioengineering
Ph.D. Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (2024)
x@rice.edu, x=ks288

Sho Watanabe, Ph.D.
Bioengineering
Ph.D. University of Tokyo (2023)
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) fellow
x@rice.edu, x=ws57
Research staff

Yerim Kim, M.Sc.
Bioengineering, Research Technician
x@rice.edu, x=yk75
Graduate students
Boao Xia, M.Sc.
Bioengineering, Ph.D. student
x@rice.edu, x=bx8
Yuanmuhuang Long
Bioengineering, Ph.D. student
x@rice.edu, x=hl156



Isaac Ive, B.Sc.
Ph.D. in Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology (SSPB)
x@rice.edu, x=ii8

Sarah Van Winkle, B.Sc.
MD/Ph.D. in Bioengineering, Rice-BCM
x@rice.edu, x=sv86

Nicolas Buitrago, B.Sc.
Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology (SSPB), Ph.D. student
NSF NRT Bioelectronics Fellow
x@rice.edu, x=nsb5

Ruoxin Wen, B.Sc.
Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology (SSPB), Ph.D. student
x@rice.edu, x=rw43

Shirin Nouraein, M.Sc.
Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology (SSPB), Ph.D. student
x@rice.edu, x=sn54

Schuyler Link, B.Sc.
MD/Ph.D. student, Bioengineering, Rice-BCM
NIH F30 fellow
x@rice.edu, x=sl210

Emma Raisley, B.Sc.
Rice University Bioengineering, Ph.D. student
NSF GRFP Fellow (2023)
x@rice.edu, x=er66

Honghao Li, B.Sc.
Rice University Bioengineering, Ph.D. student
x@rice.edu, x=hl156
Undergraduate students

Akshara Sankar

Kara Fan


Sophia Jeffrey
Helena Song
Abigail Proell


Eesha Kodavatikanti
Recruitment
We are recruiting research scientists, graduate students, postdocs, and technicians. Write me an email if you are interested in joining the group or doing a research rotation.
In particular, we are now looking for people with experience in: protein engineering, neuroscience, in vivo work, and ultrasound device development, but willingness to learn new things is the most important.
See possible research projects, and contact information.

