James Ankrum

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

James Ankrum a first-gen college graduate native to Iowa and am passionate about improving healthcare through conducting research as well as through training students for the workforce. He completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Iowa in biomedical engineering. James then was awarded A Winston Churchill Scholarship which allowed me to spend the next year studying patient safety in the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Cambridge. From there, He moved to Boston where he completed my Ph.D. in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology Medical Engineering and Medical Physics Program under the direction of Dr. Jeff Karp. James Ph.D. research was focused on engineering mesenchymal stem cells using biomaterials to influence their immunomodulatory behavior. After defending he did Ph.D., James joined the University of Minnesota for 1-year as a Senior Innovation Fellow in the Earl Bakken Medical Device Center where he honed his skills on needs finding and medical device prototyping. After his fellowship, James Ankrum returned to the University of Iowa as an assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering and started his lab aiming to use bioengineering tools and techniques to address challenges in the space of diabetes and obesity within the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center. James lab prides itself on training students to think critically, take risks, and share their work effectively with the world. We work on a variety of projects spanning cell-based therapies, organoid development, wound healing, and immune modulation.

Talks About
#biomaterials #engineeringdesign #informationdesign

Preferred Locations
#NorthAmerica