UBC Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate Farzad Khademolhosseini has received the Vanier CGS graduate scholarship – one of the most pretigious graduate scholarships in Canada. According to the Vanier CGS website, the award is given to doctoral students who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities, or health sciences. The award is valued at $50 000 a year for three years.
Farzad Khademolhosseini’s research interests are in the field of Biomedical Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (BioMEMS) and Mechanics of Cells. Specifically, he looks at the interaction of MEMS with cells. He is currently developing microdevices that can increase/direct cellular growth through application of controlled mechanical stresses and strains on cells. Such devices will have applications in the field of tissue regeneration. The goal is to help patients with cardiovascular disease recover faster after surgery. He is a member of the UBC Microsystems and Nanotechnology Group (Mina), works under the supervision of Dr. Mu Chiao, and collaborates closely with researchers from UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences and Vascular Surgeons at the Vancouver General Hospital. Visit his website at: http://sites.mech.ubc.ca/~khadem/index.htm