Aslihan Gokaltun

• Leadership in National Institutes of Health R-level grants as a co-investigator, focusing on i) the design of smart copolymers for microfluidics applications, ii) synthesis of hydrogel dressings for burn wound healing, and in vitro/in vivo evaluation and iii) supercooling preservation of liver cells.

• Conducted independent biomedical research and development to attain short and long-term objectives.
• Liaised with supervisor to review grants and manuscripts to develop potential publications.
• Maintained accurate records of research findings and provided statistical analysis of data results.
• Leveraged interpersonal and communication skills to mentor PhD, graduate and undergraduate students.
• Collaborated with multidisciplinary team members to accomplish biomedical research goals.
• Wrote and published peer-reviewed articles concerning findings and highlighted possible applications for findings.
• Maintained records of research findings with analysis and evaluation of results.
• Completed analysis of data acquired from research and verified careful documentation of information.
• Participated in discussions, seminars and lectures at conferences and workshops.
• Drafted manuscripts and presented findings at major Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering and Chromatography conferences.
• Designed research projects and alternative approaches and discussed results with professor.
• Published research results in peer-reviewed journals and presented at seminars.
• Collaborated with academia professionals to advance research and gain deeper understanding of topics.
• Developed unique research into biomaterials.

Completed Projects:

Project title: High Quality Long Term Preservation of Sporozoites via Deep Supercooling

Role: Scientist

Funding period: 2018-2020

Brief description: We aim to develop novel deep supercooling preservation methods for sporozoites and mosquitoes to enable robust research of malaria.

Project title: Deep Supercooling of Liver Cells and 2D and 3D Tissue Constructs: Effect of Attachment

Role: Co-Investigator

Funding period: 2019-2021

Brief description: The objective of the proposed study is to develop “Deep Supercooling” preservation method for 3 models of hepatic cells/tissues (suspended cells, 2D plated cells, 3D spheroids) and then compare the long-term (5 day) success of these 3 models. We specifically seek to understand how cell polarization, and cell-cell and cell-surface attachment affect the preservation outcomes.