Nikko J
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Harvard University
Expertise
Bioengineering; Biotechnology; Immunotherapy; Regenerative Medicine; Tissue Engineering
Bio
I was born and raised in San Diego, California, and began my academic journey at California State University, Long Beach where I studied Electrical Engineering. After a year at the Beach, I felt inclined to come back home and attended community college. Afterwards, I transferred to the University of California, Berkeley where I received my BS in Bioengineering. I realized that I couldn't build a functioning human being with just a BS, so I joined the PhD program in Engineering Sciences at Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science to learn the nuances of being a mad scientist. My other goal is to teach students the amazing things that can be achieved at the interface of biology and engineering so that they may be inspired to one day become Bioengineers. By doing so, I hope for them to come up with the tools they will need to repair me when I get older.Project ideas
3D Organ Engineering
Tissue Engineering. Regenerative Medicine. Stem Cells. Organ Transplants. In this exercise, we will explore the principles of engineering tissues and organs from the bottom up. Students will learn the nuances of building a tissue of their choice using the latest bioengineering techniques that are currently available. At the end of the exercise, students will be able to (i) understand the underlying biological and engineering principles of 3D Organ Engineering, (ii) create a tangible project that attempts to tackle a current limitation in 3D Organ Engineering, and (iii) create a short presentation and written proposal on said project.
Immunoengineering
Cancer vaccines. Supercharging bone marrow transplants. CAR-T cell therapies. In this exercise, we will explore how engineering can be used to exploit the immune system in the context of disease. Students will learn basic immunology and the latest bioengineering approaches to treating diseases of or involving the immune system. At the end of the exercise, students will be able to (i) understand the underlying immunological and engineering principles of immunotherapy, (ii) create a tangible project that attempts to tackle a disease that can benefit from immunotherapy, and (iii) create a short presentation and written proposal on said project.
A Burgeoning Trend: Engineering in Medicine and Biotechnology
What does it mean to be a bioengineer? How has bioengineering impacted and enabled the fields of medicine and biotechnology? Where can we trace the field back to? In this exercise, students will take an educational tour of the history of the continuously evolving field of bioengineering. At the end of the exercise, students will be able to (i) pinpoint the origins of bioengineering and its impact on society, (ii) conduct a historical review of the field of bioengineering and speculate where it's future will lead, and (iii) create a short presentation and a written review on said field.
Coding skills
MatLab, R, Bash, python, C++Languages I know
JapaneseTeaching experience
1) I was a teaching fellow at Harvard for an engineering science course in engineering problem solving and design, where students learn the engineering design process through problem identification, computational modeling, and hands-on prototyping for a problem presented by a client. 2) I was an instructor for a Bioengineering course at UC Berkeley called Cell Biology Laboratory for Engineers, where I taught students basic laboratory techniques in mammalian stem cell research and tissue engineering. 3) I was an undergraduate tutor for a large Molecular and Cell Biology and Chemistry course at UC Berkeley called Biophysical Chemistry, where I assisted students in their problem sets and understanding key concepts in the physical chemistry of life. 4) I have helped organized and mentor high school students in a largescale bioengineering highschool competition known as BioEHSC™, where students learn to design a solution to a current problem in bioengineering.Credentials
Education
Reviews
"My experience with my Nikko has been great. He has guided me and taught me about cardiac tissue engineering. During the first few weeks, he would teach me about cardiac tissue engineering and everything that would go into it. Then when I started writing my paper he gave me a lot of guidance and helped me create a good [research] proposal. He was always available when I had questions about the assignments in between sessions. He would also give me feedback on my draft proposals between each session so I could improve it before the next which made this process much more efficient."