Nima Ahmadkhani

About Me:

Oregon State University and University of Oregon join program, Doctoral research (Dec. 2022- Present)

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical and Bioengineering at Oregon State University (OSU)-University of Oregon (UO) joint program, I have been heavily involved in advancing cryopreservation techniques for organs and tissue scaffolds, aiming to revolutionize organ transplantation and biopharmaceuticals research by enhancing their availability and storage duration. My research path has involved developing and refining cryopreservation methods, as well as formulating a novel cryoprotectant cocktail for mammalian cells and organs, utilizing state-of-the-art tools such as MATLAB modeling and robotic high-throughput screening. Additionally, I conducted predictive analyses in Python to identify the most effective cryoprotective agents (CPAs) for cell and organ preservation. The culmination of my efforts was the discovery of a unique CPA cocktail that surpasses existing solutions, marking a significant advancement in cryopreservation efficacy.

Sharif University of technology, Master’s research (Sep. 2017- Feb.2020)

• Lab Assistant, Micro/Nano BioSystems (MNBS), BioChemical and Bioenvironment Research center.
• The synthesis of targeted drug delivery systems that use nanocarriers for the treatment of breast cancer.
• Synthesis of covalently conjugation of taurine (Tau) on gelatin-based hydrogel for wound healing, including the in vitro and in vivo study of rat.
• Developing a microfluidic system for the separation of sperm for the treatment of infertility by mimicking the female reproductive tract.
• Investigating stem cell encapsulation technologies for tissue engineering applications.
• Bio-printed thick scaffold with microfluidic channels.

EDUCATIONAL AWARDS AND HONORS

• Finalist, Crystal Award for Best Student Oral Presentation, CRYO2024
• The Critser Travel Award for outstanding extended abstract (CRYO2023)
• Finalist, Crystal Award for Best Student Oral Presentation, CRYO2023
• Burgess Fund for Excellence in Engineering by Oregon State University for the 22-23 academic year.
• Burgess Fund for Excellence in Engineering by Oregon State University for the 21-22 academic year
• Ranked in the first ”1%” among about 7900 applicants, National Iran-wide University Entrance Exam Iran. Spring 2017

Skills and Techniques

• Designing the cryopreservation method for organ and ready-to-use tissue engineering construct.
• Developing controlled release drug delivery systems utilizing nanoparticles.
• Design and fabrication of microfluidic systems (Photo and soft lithography, CNC machining and AutoCAD®)
• Mammalian cell culture
• 3D Bioprinting
• Hydrogel synthesis
• 3D Cell Culture (Microcapsules, in situ forming hydrogels and scaffold)
• Cell and hydrogel characterization assays (SEM, FT-IR, Spectrophotometry, MTT, Fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry)
• Machine learning

Research Interests

• Tissue engineering
• Microfluidics system (Organs-on-Chips and Lab-on-a-chip)
• 3D Bioprinting
• Cryopreservation
• Mathematical Modeling (Python and MATLAB)
• Drug delivery

Journal PUBLICATIONS

• Ahmadkhani, N., et al., (2025). High throughput method for simultaneous screening of membrane permeability and toxicity for discovery of new cryoprotective agents. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1862.
• Qualified sperm selection based on the rheotaxis and thigmotaxis in a microfluidic system. Biomedical Engineering Letters DOI: 10.1007/s13534-023-00294-8.
• The influence of the female reproductive tract and sperm features on the design of microfluidic sperm-sorting devices.  J Assist Reprod Genet        DOI: 10.1007/s10815-021-02377-w
• Permeation of individual cryoprotectants and their different combinations into mouse liver tissue.  Cryobiology DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2023.03.004
• Gelatin-based hydrogel functionalized with taurine moieties for in vivo skin tissue regeneration. Bio-Design and Manufacturing DOI: 10.1007/s42242-022-00227-x
• pH-responsive chitosan-adorned niosome nanocarriers for co-delivery of drugs for breast cancer therapy. ACS Appl. Nano Mater DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.2c00861
• Engineered hyaluronic acid-decorated niosomal nanoparticles for controlled and targeted delivery of epirubicin to treat breast cancer. Materials Today Bio  DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100349
• Influence of MgO/CeO₂ ratio on CO₂-oxidative transformation of C₂H₆ to C₂H₄ over highly active and stable Cr/MgO(x)–CeO₂(100−x) nanocatalysts   Res Chem Intermed      DOI: 10.1007/s11164-019-03782-8

Book chapter

Encapsulation of stem cells. In Principles of Biomaterials Encapsulation: Volume Two (pp. 481-524). Woodhead Publishing. Elsevier DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-824345-9.00014-3

Soft skills:
– Science communication for an audience with little scientific background (presentations, articles)
– teamwork
– Mentoring Undergraduates

Leadership Experiences

College of Engineering Graduate Ambassador (2024-present): Serve as a liaison between graduate students and the college, promoting programs and resources while enhancing the student experience.

Vice President, Lab Safety Team (LST), OSU (2022-2024): Lead initiatives to promote laboratory safety, organize training sessions, and collaborate with faculty to ensure compliance with safety regulations.

International Student Representative | GSA, OSU (2023-2024): Advocate for the needs of international students, facilitating communication between students and administration while organizing events to foster community.

Undergraduate Students’ Mentor, Bioengineering Program, OSU (2022-present): Provide guidance and support to undergraduate students, helping them navigate academic challenges and encouraging their professional development.

Student Panelist for Recruitment Event for Graduate School (2023-present): Share experiences and insights as a current graduate student to assist prospective students in understanding the program and its benefits.