Dr. Mark Bauer discovered his passion for biomedical engineering in high school, writing about it in an English class biography assignment. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ in December 2022 excelling through high-level research. He had a reputation as a kind and remarkable individual who valued community and camaraderie; and organized luncheons and events to bring people together. After his unexpected passing, a special scholarship was created. This is the story of the 2025 recipient.
Azin Ghasemi, BME PhD Student
Since 2015, Azin Ghasemi, MS, has been committed to advancing the field of Biomedical Engineering through research, academic excellence, and service. With a master’s degree in Tissue Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology, she has sought to make meaningful contributions to biomaterials and regenerative medicine and views Biomedical Engineering as a vital pathway toward improving human health. She aspires to impact millions of lives through her work in this transformative field.
Throughout her studies, she has had the privilege of contributing to several impactful projects. Her master's thesis focused on the development and characterization of a novel conductive cardiac patch to modulate post-myocardial infarction outcomes. The results were published in the Macromolecular Materials and Engineering journal and have been well-received by the scientific community (cited 60 times). After obtaining her degree, she joined Arizona State University as a Research Assistant and contributed significantly to a Type 1 Diabetes project on islet transplantation.
She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Medical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Neda Latifi at USF, an AAU institution known for its commitment to interdisciplinary research, innovation, and real-world impact. Here, she works on the development of novel tissue-mimetic, tissue-engineered living heart valve that perfectly aligns with her long-term goal of contributing to clinical therapies that repair or replace damaged tissues through innovative biomaterial-based strategies; a vision she is deeply committed to and directly contributes to the university's mission to improve humanity’s health.
Her experience from English teacher ten years ago, to research scientist today spans cell culture, biomaterials, and in vitro and in vivo studies. These experiences have helped her develop strong technical expertise, teamwork, scientific communication, and leadership skills essential for a successful academic and research career and one that contributes to the success of those around her.