 K. JANE GRANDE-ALLEN PhD Director; Isabel C. Cameron Professor of Bioengineering grande@rice.edu |
Prof. Grande-Allen is the faculty director of the IBB and directs the Integrative Matrix Mechanics Laboratory where she develops experimental and biomaterial platforms to investigate the biomechanics and mechanobiology of soft connective tissues under healthy and diseased conditions, focusing on the extracellular matrix. She received a BA in Mathematics and Biology from Transylvania University in 1991, and a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Washington in 1998. Dr. Grande-Allen has been elected as Fellow of the American Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the American Heart Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Society for Experimental Mechanics. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Society for Experimental Mechanics, and she is Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of Biomedical Engineering. |
 PAUL CHERUKURI PhD Executive Director cheru@rice.edu |
As Executive Director, Paul is responsible for the development and implementation of cross-disciplinary research and educational programs that strengthen the IBB and Rice University's scientific development in biosciences and bioengineering. He serves as key liaison between Rice and Texas Medical Center constituents to elicit funding opportunities for IBB faculty and the broader Rice science/engineering community and support their collaborative research efforts. He coordinates the activities of the IBB with other institutes and centers at Rice within areas of intellectual overlap including: research and funding opportunities, the hosting of important scientific guests and speakers, and multi-PI funding opportunities. Paul earned his PhD in Chemistry under the supervision of Nobel Laureate Richard E. Smalley and R. Bruce Weisman at Rice and has a 15-plus-year history in both academia and industry. He also directs an active research program in the field of scalable directed self-assembly of artificial and biological nanoscale materials (Teslaphoresis) and is a subject matter expert in nanotechnology, drug development and biomedical devices. |
 LISA SANGER BLINN Associate Director lisblinn@rice.edu |
As Associate Director, Lisa provides administrative direction for IBB activities that fosters the interdisciplinary needs of our faculty and also serves as the program director and co-creator of the highly-lauded IBB Girls STEM Initiative aimed at developing impactful outreach opportunities with K-12 partners in Texas. Lisa was honored with a Rice Centennial Star in 2012. Before joining Rice in 2003, she served as an HISD middle school studies teacher; the Director of Operations of the Houston regional office of Teach for America; and as a Patient Services Coordinator for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Lisa received her BA in History from Bard College. She loves to explore native wetlands, hills, prairies, and deserts with her husband Eric - and dig deep into her interests including art, storytelling, creative writing, and ritual creation. |
 DYANI BANDA Graduate Program Administrator dbanda@rice.edu |
As Graduate Program Administrator, Dyani provides administrative and financial management of the PhD Program in Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology (SSPB) where she serves as the main point of contact for SSPB graduate students and faculty. She plays a key role in the strategy development and long-range planning for the SSPB program and is personally committed to the educational improvement of all students from elementary school through college. She is also the IBB Girls STEM Initiative program coordinator, taking care of all the details that make the program run, providing a welcome shoulder to everyone involved, keeping the chaos to a minimum, and constantly looking for growth opportunities for the participants. Dyani stays busy with two very active children, many nieces and nephews, and her community and is a lifelong Houstonian who graduated from Austin High School. |
 K.A. M'CARVER Media Maven; Program Coordinator kms@rice.edu |
As the Media Maven, Kimberly is responsible for the IBB's media relations including the design, implementation, and maintenance of IBB related web sites (PoLS, HRREI, CTBP, SSPB, BRC) and design and publication of flyers, brochures, and other marketing materials to promote the IBB's mission. She has worked at Rice for over 20 years, and also serves as the program coordinator for the BioNetworks and BioXFEL undergraduate summer internship programs. After studying music at UT Austin for several years, she moved to Houston and holds a B.Sc. in Anthropology from the University of Houston. She has also received an AS degree in veterinary science, and is a registered veterinary technician. Kimberly is an award-winning singer/songwriter whose music can be found on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc. She and her husband, James Sokolowski (a '92 PhD Rice graduate in Astrophysics), share their home with seven dog kids. |
 STACEY KALOVIDOURIS PhD Special Projects Director sk7@rice.edu |
As the Special Projects Director, Stacey administers the NIH T32 Cancer Nanotechnology Program between MDACC and Rice, and organizes Rice's Responsible Conduct of Research Course (UNIV 594). Bringing 19 years of experience working at the forefront of early stage scientific advances and discoveries, she also completed the prestigious Kauffman Fellows Program, Class 19. An inventor on a patent for a carbohydrate-protein method of inducing neuronal growth, she's published research papers on nanotechnology, glycobiology, immunology, neuroscience, and drug deliver of cancer therapeutics. Prior, Stacey was the Executive Director of the IBB, and a Senior Scientist for Calando Pharmaceuticals. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, and was trained by 2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart. She received her BA in Biochemistry from Swarthmore College. She also serves as the Executive Director of Health-Related Research and Educational Initiatives in the Office of the Advisor to the Provost. |
