The travel award supported Marjan’s participation at the 2025 Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) conference held in Carlsbad, California from 2-6 January, where she delivered a poster and a podium presentation. The CMBE is a special interest group of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) that brings together researchers with scientific and clinical interests and a common goal of understanding how physical forces control biological processes towards improving medical practice.

This award is more than a ticket to a conference—it is a recognition of Marjan’s dedication and innovation in cellular bioengineering. Her research project in the laboratory of Assistant Professor Taimoor Qazi focuses on understanding how cells perceive and respond to biophysical and biochemical changes in their microenvironment during wound healing. Marjan is working to create in vitro biomaterial platforms that would allow her to probe the fundamental mechanisms of cell-driven tissue repair. This approach addresses the limitations of traditional culture platforms made exclusively from naturally-derived materials that have many processing limitations, and offers a robust and tailorable alternative with promising applications in regenerative medicine. 

Marjan’s achievement highlights Purdue’s role as a leader in engineering and biomedical innovation, and underscores the impact of mentorship, collaboration and resources available to graduate researchers at Purdue BME, providing them with the tools to excel and tackle some of the most pressing challenges in life sciences and biomedical engineering. This research is supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences via award # R35GM155449 to Qazi.