Raha Kannan
PhD Candidate
Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan
rakannan (at) umich (dot) edu
Hometown: Beaverton, Oregon
Education: BS in Biological Engineering, Oregon State University, 2017
Research interests: My research interests lie at the intersection of immunology, tissue engineering, and biomaterials. A shift in understanding about the diverse roles of macrophages and emphasis on the importance of biophysical cues has opened up a lot of exciting questions in this area. For my graduate work, I use mouse models and microparticles to study the role of macrophages in bone regeneration and macrophage behavior in response to apoptotic cellular and biophysical cues. I aim to expand our understanding of macrophage behavior in the context of regenerative medicine.
Outside interests: I enjoy rock climbing (indoors), hiking/backpacking, learning new languages, reading, and watching TV.
Awards and honors:
2021, NIH/NIDCR F31 - Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (Project #: 5F31DE030697-02)
Publications:
Kannan, R., Wei, G. & Ma, P. X. Synthetic polymeric biomaterials for tissue engineering. in Tissue Engineering Using Ceramics and Polymers 41–74 (Elsevier, 2022). doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-820508-2.00023-4.
Halperin-Sternfeld, M., Liberman, G.N., Kannan, R., Netti, F., Ma, P.X., Arad, S.M. & Adler-Abramovich, L. Thixotropic Red Microalgae Sulfated Polysaccharide-Peptide Composite Hydrogels as Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering. Biomedicines 10, 1388 (2022).