Jorge Jimenez (he/they) received his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2016 from Arizona State University (ASU) and is now a PhD candidate in bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), where he is a Pitt STRIVE Scholar and member of the Ocular Drug Delivery Lab, where they are engaged in a project involving the sustained release of cysteamine from a topical microsphere/thermoresponsive gel. He is an active mentor and motivational speaker with Pitt-EXCEL, an undergraduate diversity program committed to the recruitment, retention, and graduation of academically excellent engineering students, particularly those underrepresented in the field. They also have high achievements in Pitt-CIRTL (Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning), earning the associate and practitioner certification levels, and soon will reach the elusive Scholar level in STEM teaching. He is community chair of the executive board for LatinXinBME, a grant recipient and instructor for Design Together, and an independent researcher for Emerging Latinx Reading and Publishing Group. Jorge has served in teaching capacities for the Pitt courses, Controlled Drug Delivery and Bioengineering Transport Phenomena. In a future postdoctoral appointment, he hopes to translate a drug delivery system (DDS) for opioid overdose reversal. Their ultimate plan involves a research-teaching framework that investigates (DDS) design for communities marginalized in health and utilizes inclusive teaching practices in drug delivery education.

Research Interests

Ocular drug delivery for rare corneal disease