Tolou Shokuhfar
Tolou Shokuhfar Heading link
Biomedical Engineering Faculty
Profile
Tolou Shokuhfar is an Associate Professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago. She holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University with focus on Biomechanics and Nanomedicine. Her research interests include Biomaterials, In situ Transmission Electron Microscopy, Biomineralization, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. She has managed several NSF funded projects, including NSF CAREER award from NSF DMR program that pioneers biomineralization at nanomaterial/protein interface and has served as a reviewer at several NSF panels. She has received several research and leadership awards including the “INSIGHT Diversity Award for Inspiring Women in STEM”, “ TMS Young Leaders Award”, “ DSL Young Scientist Award”, and Crain’s Leadership Academy program in Chicago. She serves as a mentor and advisor for both undergraduate and graduate researchers and has successfully graduated several PhD and MSc students over the past few years. She has published 6 book chapters and authored books and over 100 peered-reviewed journal papers, more than 100 proceedings, and has delivered more than 60 oral presentations in invited talks and seminars at national and international venues.
She serves at the editorial board of the International Journal of Nanomedicine, Smart Materials in Medicine, and has served as the guest editor of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (JFB) and Advisor for JOM, Special Issue on “Functional Materials: Materials in Medicine and Bioengineering”. She has served in several leadership positions such as the Chair for Orthopedic Biomaterials at the Society for Biomaterials, and the Program Chair of Nanomaterials SIG at the Society for Biomaterials. She has been the main symposium organizer for “Advanced Biomaterials for Biomedical Implants” symposium at The Materials and Minerals Society (TMS) and the “ Biomedical Implants and Devices” at the DSL international conference for several years.
Description
This project provides simple nanotechnology based solutions in nanomedicine in order to achieve smart and multifunctional biomaterials with antiinfection, antiinflammatory, and improved tissue regenerative properties. The longterm goal is to improve the success of implants in patients who are medically compromised, elderly, smoke, or who have limited quantity or quality of bone.
At UIC-In-situ-Nanomedicine Laboratory, we are developing Multifunctional biomaterials that are smart to not only induce tissue regeneration but also recognize the changes in the microenvironments around them in order to prevent or reduce surgical complications such as inflammation and infection. The goal is to improve the state of currently well established biomaterials without the need for modifying the surgical technique or changing the implant design.
The BEST Fellow will visit the ISNL lab at UIC Biomedical Engineering Department, to observe the actual nanomaterial synthesis process. Dr. Shokuhfar and her PhD students will explain the concepts behind the need for such observation and the aim for using the system to synthesis nanomaterials that are important for application in advanced biomaterials. The teachers will gain required understating on the synthesis and electron microscopy characterization processes of the nano-biomaterials. Once they have successfully learned about these processes they will gain training from lab director and PhD students about how to prepare a manuscript on the topic they learned if they have interest in co-authoring a publication to be submitted high quality journal by the end of their training period.