imgChrisMoraes   Christopher Moraes, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Canada Research Chair in Advanced Cellular Microenvironments
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering
Associate memberships: Dept. of Biomedical Engineering; Goodman Cancer Research Center, Div. of Experimental Medicine
E:  chris.moraes <at> mcgill.ca.  Office: Wong 4330
Chris Moraes is a hybrid engineer: he trained in nanoengineering (B.A.Sc.), and switched into mechanical and biomedical engineering (Ph.D, U. Toronto) before holding a Banting / NSERC postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan’s Biointerfaces Institute.  His research interests lie at the interface between engineering, biology and medicine, and he is particularly curious about the role microenvironmental biomechanical forces play in driving disease and development. Recent honours include the 2020 McGill Principal’s Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researchers , the 2020 Principal’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and the NSERC Howard Alper postdoctoral prize.

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Current Team

Alejandro Forigua Coronado, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Alejandro is a Postdoctoral Researcher who joined the lab in April 2024. Growing up in Cali (Colombia), he moved to Canada to earn his BSc (Honours) in Chemistry and Process Engineering at Memorial University of Newfoundland, working on bio-inorganic materials with Prof. Erika Merschrod. He then completed his PhD in Chemistry with Prof. Katherine Elvira at the University of Victoria, focusing on bespoke microdroplets to build artificial cell membranes and to formulate drug delivery particles, with an emphasis on neurodegenerative disease studies. Shifting to the field of mechanobiology, Alejandro leverages his droplet, formulation, surface science and membrane biophysics expertise. An avid advocate for LatinX individuals in STEM, he actively participates in LatinXChem and LatinXinChE organizations. Outside the lab, Alejandro is a big foodie, craft beer enthusiast and an avid aficionado of the vibrant rhythms of salsa music!
Sabra Rostami, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Sabra is a postdoctoral researcher eager to explore the world of life science from an engineering perspective. She obtained her Ph.D. and M.Sc. degrees in biomedical engineering from Bogazici University in Turkey and a B.Sc. degree in chemical engineering from Sahand University in Iran. Coming back to her home branch of engineering, this time at McGill university in the department of chemical engineering, she studies the mechanical properties of engineered growth microenvironments for organoid growth. When not in the lab, you can find her at any event about contemporary art or theater or enjoying a cup of tea (most likely Earl Gray) while web-browsing for exotic culinary delights.
Alexandre Leblond, M.Sc. candidate
Alex is from Montreal and recently graduated from McGill with a degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering. His master’s project will be around mycelium-based biomaterials and ecological engineering. During the day, he is mainly found enjoying a cup of coffee, so if you ever have too much coffee, he will gladly make sure it is not going to waste. Finally, outside of the lab, you can see him eating brunch at McGill Pizza or watching a movie at home.
Benjamin Campbell, Ph.D. candidate
Born in Alberta, Canada and living abroad in the US, Norway and the UK, Benjamin has a love for travelling, particularly to cooler climates. In his free time, Benjamin can be found dragging his father to the ski hill for the day, sitting on his computer or watching one of his favourite sports teams(Go Flames!).
Chen Li, Ph.D. candidate
Chen is originally from Shenzhen, China and obtained his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at McGill University. In the lab, he particularly enjoys designing and fabricating different devices to shove cells in. Occasionally equipment breaks down suspiciously soon after it is used by Chen but there is no hard evidence that proves he is responsible. Outside of the lab, Chen is probably playing badminton or watching movies at home.
Christina Boghdady, Ph.D. candidate
Born and raised a Montrealer, Christina discovered her passion for interdisciplinary research during her undergraduate studies in chemical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering at McGill University. Now pursuing her Masters, she is currently working on measuring cell-generated forces in 3D and understanding their roles in cancer progression. If you can’t find her in the lab, she’s probably in the kitchen, putting her baking skills to the test while rocking out to some early 2000’s classics. you can also catch her in the wild, curled up with a cat, reading under a tree, or indulging in some macro/night photography.
Prabu Karthick Parameshwar, Ph.D. candidate
Karthick is a Doctoral student in the Inter-faculty Biological and Biomedical Engineering Programme (BBME). Originally from Chennai (TN, India) and Toronto (ON, Canada), he obtained his Bachelors degree from the University of Toronto (BASc in Engineering Science – Biomedical Systems Engineering) and is currently looking forward to exploring microfluidic approaches to study reproductive systems biology. If any spare time arises, Karthick likes to explore new food recipes, play the drums, and learn more Tamil, Hindi and French.
Susie O’Brien, M.Sc. candidate
Susie grew up in a small community on the west coast of Newfoundland. After completing a B.A.Sc in Chemical Engineering at uOttawa, Susie is thrilled to be pursuing a Masters under the co-supervision of Dr. Moraes and Dr.Hoesli. Her research will investigate the effect of mechanical cues on stem cell differentiation into pancreatic lineages. Outside the lab, she can be found hiking, knitting, baking, reading, or consuming excessive amounts of espresso!
 

Vanessa Xu, Undergraduate RA (CHEE)

Andrei Bocan, Undergraduate RA (BIEN)

Daphne Jin, Undergraduate RA (Immunology)

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If you’re interested in taking a strong multidisciplinary approach towards integrating microtechnologies, engineering and medicine, please consider joining our team.

Postdoctoral alumni

  • 2022-2023: Kaline Arnauts, Ph.D.,
    Currently: Postdoctoral Fellow, KU Leuven
  • 2021-2022: Stephanie Mok, Ph.D.
    Currently:  Co-founder and COO, Modulari-T Bio
  • 2019-2021: Nathália Azevedo Portilho, Ph.D., 
    Currently: Postdoctoral Fellow, McGill University with Prof. Will Pastor
  • 2018-2020: Lucas Sagrillo-Fagundes, Ph.D.,
    Currently: FRQNT Postdoctoral researcher,  Universidade Federal iências da Saúde de Porto Alegre with Prof. Marcia Wink
  • 2016-2018:  Arvind Chandrasekaran, Ph.D., P.Eng.
    Currently: Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina A&T (Lab homepage)

Graduate alumni

  • 2018-2023: Camille Cassel de Camps, Ph.D. (BBME)
    Thesis: Impact of biophysical cues on brain organoid growth and development
  • 2021-2023: Ingrid Anaya Morales, M.Sc. (Experimental Medicine)
    Thesis: Effect of senescence on human mesenchymal stromal cells’ anti-fibrotic function
  • 2021-2023: Junqing (Scott) Jiang, M.Sc. (Chemical Engineering)
    Thesis: Customized light sheet microscope for rapid quality control of midbrain organoids during early development stages
  • 2018-2023:  Nicholas Lin, Ph.D (co-supervised with Prof. N. Tufenkji, CHEE)
    Thesis:  Cell-surface interactions between bacteria and zinc oxide nanopillars
  • 2021-2023: Benjamin Campbell, M.Sc.
    Thesis: Cell-scale measurements of tissue viscoelasticity using thermoresponsive mechanosensors in engineered tumor models
  • 2021-2023: Chen Li, M.Sc.
    Thesis:  Tissues-on-a-String: Analyzing Transport Within Tissues Via Perfusable Glass-Sheathed Hydrogel Microtubes
  • 2021-2023: Nicholas Wong, M.Sc. (Experimental Medicine)
    Thesis:  Local Stimulation by NETosed Neutrophils Promotes Breast Cancer Cell Invasion
  • 2020-2022: James P. Reeves, M.Sc. (Chemical Engineering)
    Thesis: Granular hydrogel matrices with tunable plastic deformation properties for tissue engineering
  • 2017-2022: Gabrielle Brewer, Ph.D. (co-supervised with Prof. M. Park; Goodman Cancer Institute)
    Thesis: Identifying the functional role of breast cancer associated fibroblasts in promoting disease progression.
  • 2017-2021: Raymond Tran, Ph.D. (co-supervised with Prof. Hoesli; Chemical Engineering)
    Thesis: Biomimetic mechanical control of pluripotent stem cell differentiation in pancreatic endocrine cells
  • 2017-2021: Carley Ort, Ph.D. (Chemical Engineering)
    Thesis: Stiffness-tunable biomaterials to explore biophysical cues arising within contracting collagen microtissues
  • 2014-2021:  Wontae Lee, Ph.D. (co-supervised with Prof. Leask; Chemical Engineering)
    Thesis: Cell-like stress sensors to quantify cell-generated mechanical stresses within soft, dynamically evolving tissue cultures
  • 2016-2020: Stephanie Mok, Ph.D. + 2021-2022 Postdoc
    Thesis: Quantifying three-dimensional cell-scale mechanics in cancer using thermally responsive hydrogel probes
  • 2018-2020:  Nikita Kalashnikov, M.Eng; 2020-2022, Research Assistant
    Thesis: Development and implementation of computational approaches to quantify cell-generated mechanical forces
  • 2017-2019: Sonya Kouthouridis, M.Eng.
    Thesis: Deconstructing the air-liquid interface: the role of oxygen in epithelial cell differentiation
  • 2016-2018:  Lisa Zhao, M.Eng.
    Thesis: Versatile cradle-to-grave culture platform for 3D spheroid formation and analysis
  • 2016-2018:  Zhenwei Ma, M.Eng.
    Thesis: Mechanobiological Regulation of Placental Trophoblast Fusion via Substrate Stiffness and Geometric Confinement
  • 2015-2018:  Sanya Siddiqui, M.Eng.
    Thesis: Studying bacterial interactions with their microenvironment in microfluidic adhesion and infection models
  • 2015-2017:  Raymond Tran, M.Eng.
    Thesis: The role of microscale forces in the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived pancreatic progenitor cells
  • 2014-2016: Avital Horowitz, M.Eng.
    Thesis: Towards a human in vitro model of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Determining the effects of stiffness, dimensionality, and serum on healthy and diseased human lung fibroblast force generation.

Undergraduate alumni

  • 2023: Ayesha Basu, SURE undergraduate RA
  • 2022: Dukun Zhao, SURE undergraduate RA
  • 2022: Tirza Pang, Undergraduate RA
  • 2022: Hongyan Lu, CHEE 495 undergraduate RA
  • 2022: Erdem Cakmak, SURE undergraduate RA
  • 2022: Emma Friesen, SURE undergraduate RA
  • 2022: Allen Liu, SURE undergraduate RA
  • 2022: Chaeeun Lee, CHEE 494 undergraduate RA
  • 2021: Rahul Behal, CHEE 494 undergraduate RA
  • 2020: Benjamin Campbell, CHEE 494 / SURE undergraduate RA
  • 2020:  Kimberley Seaman, CHEE 495 / SURE undergraduate RA
  • 2020: Mingrui Guo, BIEN 471 undergraduate RA
  • 2020: Zizhou (Joann) Xiang, CHEE 495 undergraduate RA
  • 2019: Lidan Gou, EUL / SURE undergraduate RA
  • 2019: Sasha Kaltashov, CHEE 494 undergraduate RA
  • 2019:  Moding Xue, CHEE 494 undergraduate RA
  • 2019: Emily Ashby, EUL / SURE undergraduate RA
  • 2018-2019: Pooja Patel, SURE / CHEE495 undergraduate RA
  • 2019 (Summer):  Anqi Cai, SURE undergraduate RA
  • 2018-2019: Andre Lee, CHEE McGill
  • 2017-2019: Yimai (Vickie) Chen, SURE / CHEE McGill
  • 2016-2018: Sarah Dubois, NSERC USRA / CHEE McGill
  • 2018: Stephanie Wu, CHEE McGill
  • 2017-2018: Rachel Mot, NSERC USRA / CHEE McGill
  • 2016-2018: Erica Neuber, EUL, CHEE McGill
  • 2018: Kimberley Desrochers, CHEE McGill
  • 2018: Seyedhossein Jafarzadeh, Honors Biology Thesis RA
  • 2018 (Summer):  Yanqing Liu , CHEE McGill
  • 2018 (Summer): Samantha Lapin, CHEE McGill
  • 2018 (summer): Punithan Thiagalingam, SURE RA, U. Waterloo
  • 2017-2018: Sarah Ezzeddine, CHEE McGill
  • 2018 (Winter): Kirk Dias, CHEE McGill
  • 2017 (summer): Chalani Ranasinghe, Honors Biology Thesis, McGill
  • 2016-2017: Charles Ledoux, CHEE McGill
  • 2017 (winter): Kevin Qiu, CHEE McGill
  • 2015-2017:  Sonya Kouthouridis, CHEE McGill
  • 2016 (fall):   Kathryn Ciu Leci, CHEE McGill
  • 2016 (summer): Xavier Wong, CHEE McGill
  • 2016 (summer): Patricia Sosa, MITACS GlobalLink Intern
  • 2016 (summer): Caroline Fournier, Summer intern (INRS)
  • 2015-2016:  Andrea Saliba, CHEE McGill
  • 2015-2016: Camilla Jiang, CHEE McGill
  • 2016 (Winter):  Sabrina Clarke, CHEE McGill
  • 2015-2016: Katie MacDonald, NSERC USRA, CHEE McGill
  • 2015 (Summer): Celestine Hong, NSERC USRA, CHEE McGill
  • 2015 (Summer): David Chondon, NSERC USRA, CHEE McGill,
  • 2015 (Summer):  Jessica Golo Vaz De Lima, Undergraduate Exchange RA, Science without Borders
  • 2015 (Summer):  Jessica Ronci, MECH, McGill