Kevin received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009. He worked at INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA in the Houston, TX area as a technical service engineer, polypropylene product development engineer, and Six Sigma Black Belt before joining the Rafat Lab. He combined his industry experience with his past academic research stemming from an REU studying mesenchymal stem cell migration at MIT to solve complex problems in the biomedical field. At Vanderbilt, he completed his PhD in 2025, and his research focused on understanding normal-tissue wound healing due to radiation therapy. He is exploring how this treatment affects cellular metabolism to impact tumor-cell infiltration and recurrence in triple-negative breast cancer. Outside of the lab, Kevin is an avid cook and equally avid foodie. He has a (questionably) healthy obsession with K-pop, enjoys laughing along to the comedy/true-crime podcast My Favorite Murder, and spends a significant amount of time talking about his dog Mochi.

Greg grew up in Wylie, TX – a small city outside of Dallas. In 2019, he graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. While at Tufts, Greg investigated the engineering of therapeutic proteins for targets relevant to diseases such as cancer. At Vanderbilt, Greg is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and explores extracellular vesicles, specifically in the context of breast cancer and how cellular communication between different cells is altered after irradiation therapy. During his free time, Greg is an avid football fan, and he enjoys going to the gym, cooking and exploring new music.

Shannon received her B.S and M.S.E. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2017. She then conducted research at the National Cancer Institute for two years, where she studied radiation-induced RNA expression changes in blood and in endothelial cells to develop biomarker signatures for radiation biodosimetry. At Vanderbilt, her research focuses on creating microfluidic cell culture models to understand the interactions of neutrophils and normal tissue damaged by radiation and how these interactions play a role in recurrence and metastasis. In her free time, Shannon enjoys running, exploring Nashville, and baking cakes.

McKenzie received her B.S in Biological Engineering from Louisiana State University in her hometown of Baton Rouge, LA. In the past, her research has involved nanoparticles and nanostructures for biological applications. At Vanderbilt, she is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and studies the effect of radiation-induced immune cell infiltration on tumor cell recruitment in breast cancer. McKenzie has more hobbies than she does time. She enjoys animals, art/ animation, cross stitching, lore and science podcasts, Dungeons and Dragons, and spending time with her husband, little girl, and guinea pig.

In 2024, Zach graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with Honors from Pennsylvania State University. While there, he conducted research on the effects of extracellular matrix properties on cell migration. Zach also spent a summer working in a molecular biology laboratory identifying novel inexpensive means of producing protein standards for size exclusion chromatography. At Vanderbilt, he is investigating the effect of mammary fat pad radiation damage on breast cancer cell migration with a focus on the extracellular matrix. In his free time, Zach enjoys going to the gym, watching sports, spending time outside, and exploring food in Nashville.

Sofia received her B.S. In Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in 2024. Her research at UA involved hydrogels that mimic the brain tumor microenvironment to study the effects of matrix stiffness on drug resistance in brain metastatic breast cancer spheroids. Here at Vanderbilt, she is working on applying focused ultrasound to mitigate the effects of radiation-induced macrophage infiltration on tumor recurrence in triple negative breast cancer. In her free time, Sofia loves to travel and try new foods. She also enjoys hiking, coffee, and photography.

Jack earned his B.S. in Biology from Boston College and hails from Northbrook, IL, a suburb of Chicago. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Biomedical Studies at Vanderbilt University, where his research focuses on changes in mammary fat due to radiation therapy. Jack aims to further investigate the impact of breast cancer on patients in his future medical career. In addition to his academic pursuits, he is a passionate fan of both baseball and football.

Ben is a junior from Nashville, TN, majoring in Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. He is interested in drug design and development, and is working toward a career improving pharmaceuticals through research and the application of engineering principles. In his free time, Ben loves getting coffee and spending time in the sun with friends or a good book!

Kirsten is a junior studying Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt. She is interested in Biotechnology, specifically cancer research, and hopes to work in drug development after graduation. Her current research focuses on radiation-induced changes in mammary vessel count, senescence-related proteins in endothelial cells, and changes in physical vessel properties. In her free time, Kirsten enjoys playing pickleball, exploring new places, and baking.

Bridget is a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering with a minor in data science. She is passionate about using science to help others. After graduation, Bridget would like to attend graduate school and pursue a career in research. Bridget grew up in Durham, North Carolina, and in her free time loves to spend time with her friends and family, read books of any genre, go to concerts, and travel.

Jordan is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering from St. Louis, Missouri. After graduation Jordan plans to pursue medical school and is passionate about global health, clinic volunteering, and using research to advance medicine and technology. In his free time, he enjoys playing bass and piano, traveling, and exploring different languages and cultures.