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Parisa Yousefpour
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Parisa Yousefpour’s research interests lie at the intersection of immunoengineering, synthetic biology, protein engineering, and biomaterial science, focusing on the development of advanced therapeutics.
Dr. Yousefpour designs and engineers RNA- and protein-based platforms to finely modulate immune responses, enhancing therapeutic efficacy while minimizing adverse effects. Her team develops next-generation biomolecular immunotherapies by integrating approaches from protein engineering, synthetic biology, and biomaterial science to address treatment challenges across various indications, including cancer and infectious diseases. Key research areas include engineering gene circuits for precise immunotherapy, developing controlled-release vaccine platforms, and investigating how endogenous biological mechanisms interact with biomolecular therapeutics to leverage these systems for enhanced efficacy.
Dr. Yousefpour holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and completed her postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Additional Information
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Professional Experience
- Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 2025-
- Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT, 2019-2024
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Professional Affiliations
- Society of Women Engineers
- Biomedical Engineering Society
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Honors & Awards
- FLI (First Generation/Low Income) Student Support and Advocacy Award, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2024
- Rising Stars in Engineering in Health Award, Cornell, Columbia, and John Hopkins Universities, 2023
- Kirschstein-NRSA (F32) Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Institutes of Health, 2022-2024
- Ludwig Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2022
- Convergence Scholar, Center for Precision Cancer Medicine and the Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine at MIT, 2020-201
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Education
- PhD, Biomedical Engineering, Duke University
- Integrated BS-MS, Biotechnology/Bioprocess Engineering, University of Tehran