David Bark – Assistant Professor
(970) 491-1443 | david.bark@colostate.edu
Dr. Bark’s research is focused on cardiovascular fluid dynamics and biomechanics, with an aim of understanding how cells produce and respond to forces in a flow environment in relation to cardiovascular disease. His research is also focused on developing diagnostics, prostheses, and therapeutics to benefit human health by integrating experimental and computational engineering techniques with biological approaches.
Diego Krapf – Associate Professor
(970) 491-4255 | krapf@engr.colostate.edu
Diego Krapf was born in Rosario, Argentina. During his Ph.D. research he worked on infrared optics on nanostructured materials. Then, Dr. Krapf joined the research group of Prof. Cees Dekker in the Netherlands where he focused on single-molecule biophysics using solid-state nanopores. Since August 2007, he serves as a faculty member in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Colorado State University. Dr. Krapf is also associate professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering. His current research interests include cellular biophysics at the single-molecule level, with particular emphasis on membrane and cytoskeleton dynamics.
Ketul Popat – Associate Professor
(970) 491-1468 | ketul.popat@colostate.edu
Dr. Ketul C. Popat is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University. His research interests include biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, cancer, controlled release, biocompatibility, biomaterials, orthopaedics, and bio-nanotechnology.
Dr. Popat received his M.Engr. in Chemical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
David A. Prawel – Senior Research Scientist
(970) 491-4386 | david.prawel@colostate.edu
David Prawel has been a consultant and entrepreneur in 3D technology and digital product development for over 30 years. He helped build 5 startup companies, with one successful IPO and one in the works. He earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Buffalo, and a Ph.D. from Colorado State University in Biomedical Engineering. He is currently on the Research Faculty in Mechanical Engineering at CSU, where he researches biomimetic and polymeric biomaterials. He also recently founded a community-access center for 3D printing and personal fabrication, www.idea2product.net.
Stuart A. Tobet – Professor
(970) 491-1672 | stuart.tobet@colostate.edu
Stuart A. Tobet, Ph.D., is a professor of biomedical sciences and biomedical engineering at Colorado State University. He currently serves as Director of the School of Biomedical Engineering. Tobet obtained his Ph.D. from the Department of Applied Biological Sciences at MIT in 1985 and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. He became Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School in 1989 and was a visiting instructor at the University of Hawaii Medical School that same year. In 2000, Tobet became Associate Professor of Physiology at UMASS Medical School. In 2003, he joined the Department of Biomedical Sciences at CSU.
Tobet began several transdisciplinary projects at CSU that brought together faculty in biomedical sciences with those in engineering, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science, leading to his appointment as Director of the School of Biomedical Engineering in 2010. He has directed courses in developmental neurobiology, biomedical entrepreneurship, grant writing, and STEM communication.
Tobet has co-authored more than 135 refereed journal articles and more than 10 book chapters or monographs. He is currently on the editorial board of three journals and is a senior editor for one of them. His research interests include the utilization of microfluidics, electrochemistry, and lab-on-a-chip technologies in the context of key biological questions for barrier tissues in the body.
Zhijie Wang – Assistant Professor
(970) 491-8679 | zhijie.wang@colostate.edu
Dr. Zhijie Wang joined the Colorado State University Mechanical Engineering faculty in fall 2016 as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Wang’s main research has focused on the cardiovascular biomechanics at different scales from a single segment of artery to whole organs including the heart and lungs. Her research interests include cardiovascular tissue biomechanics, mechanobiology, computational modeling, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine using pre-clinical animal models and/or patient studies. Dr. Wang has received an American Heart Association (AHA) Midwest Affiliate Postdoctoral Fellowship and an NSF ADVANCE postdoctoral seminar award. She was also awarded in the AHA Scientific Sessions conference and the Annual Meeting of Congress of Neurological Surgeons. She has been invited as a speaker and moderator at multiple international conferences and as a reviewer for a variety of clinical & biomedical research journals as well as national & international conferences. Dr. Wang is a currently member of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Physiological Society (APS), American Thoracic Society (ATS) and American Heart Association (AHA).
Chris Weinberger – Assistant Professor
(970) 491-1625 | chris.weinberger@colostate.edu
Christopher R. Weinberger, Ph.D., joined Colorado State University's mechanical engineering department in the Fall of 2016. He has spent the past three years as an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department at Drexel University. His professional experience includes time as a Mechanical Engineer at Lockheed Martin (2001-2005) as well as working at Sandia National Laboratories as a Harry S. Truman Fellow (2009-2012) and a Senior R&D S&E Staff member (2012-2013). Dr. Weinberger holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
