John Frampton (Team Leader)
I am an Associate Professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering at Dalhousie University and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Cellular, Biomaterial and Matrix Interaction. I trained as a PhD student in the School of Public Health at SUNY at Albany, before completing a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of Michigan. At Dalhousie University, my group of highly qualified trainees is working at the intersection of chemistry, physics and biology to explore the interactions of various soft materials with cells, design novel biomaterials and develop cutting-edge miniaturization technologies with applications in biotechnology and medicine.
Hessameddin Yaghoobi (Postdoc)
Hessam obtained his PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iran with an emphasis on the mechanical, thermal, and biodegradation properties of polymer composites reinforced with natural Kenaf fibers and Carbon nanotubes. He is the former recipient of Izaak Walton Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship by Dalhousie University, where he was working on novel 3D fiber metal laminate composites reinforced with nanomaterials and was also working on the mechanical performance of a novel environmentally friendly basalt‐Elium® thermoplastic composite. As a Mitacs Postdoctoral Fellow at Dalhousie University, he is now working in the Kreplak and Frampton groups and also at the startup company 3D BioFibR to produce bioartificial tendons.
Rahimeh Rasouli (Postdoc)
Rahimeh received an MSc degree in Biotechnology from Tehran University. Her master's research was in vaccine development and recombinant protein production. She obtained her PhD in Nanomedicine from Tehran University of Medical Sciences. During her PhD training, she investigated the application of targeted nanoparticles as contrast agents for several kinds of imaging modalities such as MRI and SPECT. She has been involved in numerous synthesis and characterization methods and in-vitro and in-vivo studies. Currently, she is working on the fabrication of a nanofibrous scaffold to address various challenges in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Jonathan Tjong (PhD Student)
Jonathan completed his undergraduate degree in Human Biology at the University of California San Diego and worked at the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research and the Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology. He completed his MASc in Biomedical Engineering at Dalhousie University, where he examined the influence of dysregulation of the airway epithelium on airway smooth muscle cell function. He began his PhD research in 2019 in the development of a microtissue approach for modeling asthma in the small airways.
Mady Thompson (PhD Student)
Mady completed her BSc with Honours in Biochemistry at Queen’s University. She went on to complete her Master’s degree in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of Calgary where she studied the maturation of stem cell derived cardiomyocytes on extracellular matrix. Her PhD focuses on generating a more physiologically relevant Alzheimer’s Disease model from stem cells. She is a recipient of a 4-year Research Nova Scotia Scotia Scholars Award.
Zahra Falahati (PhD Student)
Zahra completed a BSc in Cellular and Molecular Sciences from Kharazmi University, Iran, and an MSc in Biochemistry from Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Her undergraduate research focused on investigating the reproductive side effects of insecticides. Her Master’s thesis investigated the effects of different physicochemical factors on the structure and stability of the HIV-1 vaccine candidate recombinant Tat protein. After completing her Master’s work, she was involved in various professional and research activities in medical genetics, biomedical engineering, and molecular biology. Zahra’s Ph.D. project focuses on engineering silk-based biomaterials to promote nerve regeneration.
Janna Albarda (MASc Student)
Janna received her BSc with First-Class Honours from Dalhousie University, completing the combined program through the departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Microbiology and Immunology. In her Honours research she studied the interactions between the peptide apelin-17 and phospholipid bicelles. Now a Master’s student in the School of Biomedical Engineering, she is working on designing a collagen-based textile able to replace portions of the human cornea.
Darren Cole (Technician)
Darren received his BSc from Dalhousie University in Biology. He has over 25 years of experience with mammalian cell culture including with demanding cell types like renal tubule cells. Before joining the Frampton Lab, he was the technician for Prof. Geoff Maksym and subsequently for the School of Biomedical Engineering. Darren is currently working on a number of cell culture projects which include culture of neural progenitor cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, keratinocytes, airway smooth muscle cells, and corneal cells. Outside of the lab, Darren is an avid fisherman and wood worker.
Xingjian Chang (Technician)
Chang received his BSc from Dalhousie University, double majoring in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Microbiology & Immunology. He then completed his MSc in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology under the supervision of Prof. Vanya Ewart, working on antifreeze proteins. Chang is currently working on projects related to Lyme disease biomarkers and development of assay systems for protein and metabolite detection.
Kaia Pauli (Undergraduate Intern)
Kaia is an undergraduate student at the HAN University of Applied Sciences and is currently taking part in several internships at Dalhousie University. Over the course of her undergraduate degree, she has worked on several projects including determining the effects of ALCAM interactions on melanoma cell lines and most recently working on projects related to Lyme disease biomarker discovery.
Tania Sofia Hernandez Hernandez
Tania Sofia is a Biotechnology Engineering student at Tecnológico de Monterrey. Throughout her undergraduate studies she has participated in projects and learning experiences with several companies and organizations such as BRIMEX Energy, Culiacán´s Botanical Garden, and Kurago Biotek. As a student researcher in Mexico, she has worked on research for conductive polymers with medical applications. Currently, she is conducting a Mitacs Globalink Research Internship focused on the development of conductive polymer fibers with wound healing properties.
Robert Laureijs (Research in Medicine Student)
Robert completed his BSc with Honours in Medical Sciences at Dalhousie University in 2019. His honours focused on characterizing the mechanical changes of bovine heart tissues in response to pregnancy. He went on to obtain an MBA from Dalhousie in 2021 and worked in the Halifax start-up ecosystem as a consultant. Robert is currently part of the Dalhousie Medicine class of 2026. As a Research in Medicine (RIM) student, Robert is focused on the development of a novel combination hyaluronic-acid and collagen tissue scaffold for tympanic membrane repair.
Kevin Telfer (Research in Medicine Student)
Kevin completed his undergraduate BSc in nursing at Dalhousie University in 2018. He worked as a registered nurse for two years before returning to Dal for medical school (class of 2024). As a Research in Medicine (RIM) student, Kevin is working with the Frampton Lab on proteomics research into biomarkers of Lyme disease. The goal of this research is the development of improved diagnostic tests.
Nick Robichaud (Research in Medicine Student)
Nick completed a BSc with Joint Honours in Physics and Biochemistry at Memorial University in 2019. His honours work looked at developing computer simulations to study protein behaviour. He is now a member of the class of 2023 at Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick. As part of a Research in Medicine project, Nick is studying the development of drug-loadable, core-sheath polymer fibers for applications in wound healing and regenerative medicine.
Lab Alumni
Postdoctoral Fellows:
Swomitra Palit
PhD Students:
MASc/Msc Students:
Stefan Pendlmayr (Visiting from Aarhus University)
Zachary Visser
Mireya Yareth Cervantes González
Undergraduate Students:
Cathleen Dai
Ammu Puliyankotan
Chloe Ma (Co-Supervised w/ Jan Rainey)
Friederike Floegel (Mitacs GRI, 2019)
Kiha Kim
Lauren Pugsley-DeBruyn (Co-Supervised w/ Jan Rainey)
Madelaine Robertson (Co-Supervised w/ Jan Rainey)
Poornimaa Nataraj (Mitacs GRI, 2022)
Daniel Ng Kah Hee (Mitacs GRI, 2022)
Emmanuel Borja Ramos (Mitacs GRI, 2022)
Undergraduate Capstone Teams and DISP Teams:
Hady Sarhan, Jordan Worona and Ilias Lekkas (Electrical Engineering, 2016)
Elizabeth Outhit, Jinwon Jang, Maia Kvas, Emily Gerhardt and Beatrice Chiang (DISP, 2017)
Diane Farah, Tyler Jenkins, Artem Soroka and Sara Jaber (Chemical Engineering, 2019)
Aline Maybank and Annabel Gravely (DISP, 2020)
Joscillyn Poirier, Tilda Hadley, Kathleen Walker and Neha Nauman (Chemical Engineering, 2020)
Alex Whidden and Maxxim Vigneau (Electrical Engineering, 2021)
Undergraduate Students:
Cathleen Dai
Ammu Puliyankotan
Chloe Ma (Co-Supervised w/ Jan Rainey)
Friederike Floegel (Mitacs GRI, 2019)
Kiha Kim
Lauren Pugsley-DeBruyn (Co-Supervised w/ Jan Rainey)
Madelaine Robertson (Co-Supervised w/ Jan Rainey)
Poornimaa Nataraj (Mitacs GRI, 2022)
Daniel Ng Kah Hee (Mitacs GRI, 2022)
Emmanuel Borja Ramos (Mitacs GRI, 2022)
Undergraduate Capstone Teams and DISP Teams:
Hady Sarhan, Jordan Worona and Ilias Lekkas (Electrical Engineering, 2016)
Elizabeth Outhit, Jinwon Jang, Maia Kvas, Emily Gerhardt and Beatrice Chiang (DISP, 2017)
Diane Farah, Tyler Jenkins, Artem Soroka and Sara Jaber (Chemical Engineering, 2019)
Aline Maybank and Annabel Gravely (DISP, 2020)
Joscillyn Poirier, Tilda Hadley, Kathleen Walker and Neha Nauman (Chemical Engineering, 2020)
Alex Whidden and Maxxim Vigneau (Electrical Engineering, 2021)