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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nSharma Lab Undergraduates at Pruitt Research Day 2026<\/a><\/h2>\n\n
Sharma Lab Undergraduate Researchers Present at Pruitt Research Day 2026 Sharma Lab undergraduate researchers Victoria Consalvo and Natalia Munetones Martinez presented work from their senior thesis projects at Pruitt Research Day 2026. Natalia presented her work on characterizing 3D chondrocyte pellet cultures and began establishing a protocol for their use in understanding senescence in chondrocytes.<\/p>
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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nSharma Lab at Biomaterials Day 2026<\/a><\/h2>\n\n
Sharma Lab at Biomaterials Day 2026 On March 10, the Sharma Lab attended a regional Biomaterials Day hosted at the University of Florida. Eight universities across Florida attended talks from both invited academic and industry speakers, as well as student speakers from many of the attending universities. Rylee Newport (Ph.D. Candidate – Biomedical Engineering) presented<\/p>
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\n![\"Sharma](\"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/sharma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/505\/2026\/03\/Sharma-lab-outreach-day.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nSharma Lab at Outreach Day<\/a><\/h2>\n\n
Sharma Lab at Outreach Day 2026 On March 7, Sharma Lab members Rylee Newport, Zach Bosworth, Molly Dobrow, and Ava Frank shared with K-12 students all about biomedical research done in the Sharma Lab at the 2nd Annual K-12 BME STEM Outreach Day. At Outreach Day, BME labs and clubs offer demonstrations for young aspiring<\/p>
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\n![\"Rylee](\"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/sharma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/505\/2026\/02\/1000008098-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nRylee passes her Qualifying Exam!<\/a><\/h2>\n\n
Rylee passes her Qualifying Exam! This spring, Rylee Newport passed her qualifying exam by presenting her thesis proposal, titled “Tunable Biomaterials for Investigating NK cell Migration Parameters in Solid Tumors.” Many thanks to her committee members, Dr. Edward Phelps, Dr. Carlos Rinaldi-Ramos, Dr. Cherie Stabler, and Dr. Ryan Thomas for their support and feedback. As<\/p>
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\n![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/sharma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/505\/2025\/12\/Suzanne-outside-graduation-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nDr. Suzanne Lightsey defends her thesis<\/a><\/h2>\n\n
Congratulations to Dr. Suzanne Lightsey on the successful defense of her thesis and graduation! During the Fall 2025 semester, Dr. Suzanne Lightsey successfully defended her thesis, Engineered Biomaterials for Investigating Natural Killer Cell Infiltration. Her work aimed to further our understanding of how Natural Killer (NK) cells interact with the extracellular matrices (ECM) of tumors<\/p>
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\n![\"Sharma](\"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/sharma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/505\/2025\/12\/Rylee-Suzanne-and-Dr-Sharma-at-TERMIS-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nSharma Lab Attends TERMIS-AM 2025<\/a><\/h2>\n\n
Congratulations to Rylee Newport and Dr. Suzanne Lightsey on presenting at TERMIS-AM 2025! In November, 2025, Sharma Lab members Rylee Newport and Dr. Suzanne Lightsey presented their research at TERMIS-AM 2025 in Detroit, MI. The focus of the conference was “Next Generation Tools for Regenerative Medicine.” Rylee Newport presented a poster on her work, 3D<\/p>
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\n![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/sharma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/505\/2025\/12\/Dr-Sharma-wins-2025-BME-Faculty-Service-Excellence-Award.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nDr. Sharma – 2025 BME Faculty Service Excellence Award<\/a><\/h2>\n\n
Congratulations to Dr. Blanka Sharma for receiving the 2025 BME Faculty Service Excellence Award! On December 5th, Dr. Blanka Sharma was awarded the 2025 BME Faculty Service Excellence Award. This award is given to the BME primary faculty member who provided outstanding and dedicated service to the department. Dr. Sharma was selected for her work<\/p>
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\n![\"Touraj](\"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/sharma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/505\/2025\/12\/photo_2025-11-06_12-26-30.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTouraj Presents as a 3MT Finalist<\/a><\/h2>\n\n
Congratulations to Touraj for presenting his research at 3MT! We are excited to share that Touraj Amrabadi, a Ph.D. candidate, participated in the final round of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at the University of Florida on November 6th, 2025. Previously, he delivered a concise, engaging presentation of his research in the preliminary round<\/p>
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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nCongratulations to Touraj \u2013 3MT\u00ae Finalist!<\/a><\/h2>\n\n
Congratulations to Touraj \u2013 3MT\u00ae Finalist! Congratulations to Touraj \u2013 3MT\u00ae Finalist! We are excited to share that Ph.D. candidate Touraj Amrabadi has successfully advanced to the final round of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT\u00ae) competition at the University of Florida. Touraj delivered a compelling and concise presentation of his research and was selected as<\/p>
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\n![\"Sharma](\"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/sharma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/505\/2025\/10\/TA-MnO2-talk.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nSharma Lab at NanoDay 2025<\/a><\/h2>\n\n
Sharma Lab at NanoDay 2025 On October 9th, Touraj Amrabadi (Ph.D. Candidate – Chemical Engineering) presented his research on functionalized manganese dioxide nanoparticles as reactive oxygen species scavengers for targeting oxidative stress in osteoarthritis at NanoDay 2025. Great job, Touraj!<\/p>
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