Welcome!

My name is Zuriel, and I’m entering my 4th and final year of the Combined BS/MSE Program in Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, with undergraduate minors in Applied Mathematics and Statistics & Robotics, and Master’s specializations in BioMechanical Engineering & Robotics, Systems Modeling, Dynamics, and Control. Through advanced bioimaging methods, minimally-invasive medical interventions, and open-source dissemination of knowledge, I strive to combat disparities in clinical and educational outcomes.

I currently work in Prof. Ishan Barman’s Photonics for Quantitative Biology and Medicine lab, with research interests spanning the fields of biomechanics, robotics, and mathematical modeling. I’m also a teaching assistant for courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Both endeavors have inspired my pursuit of equitable access across biomedical and educational domains.

Outside of the lab and the classroom, I enjoy firespinning, tennis, game development, and other personal hobbies. I’m also involved in on-campus extracurricular groups, including the Filipino Students Association, Alpha Phi Omega, Pi Tau Sigma, and more.

Academic Interests at a Glance

Very high-level overview of what grinds my gears. For more detailed research interests and project experience, see my research and portfolio pages!

Label-Free Optical Imaging and Biosensing

• Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy
• Hyperspectral Confocal Raman Imaging
• Quantitative Phase Imaging

Robotics and Controls

• Robotic-Assisted Minimally-Invasive Surgery and Interventions
• Adaptive Control and Adaptive Trajectory Tracking
• Haptic Feedback and Virtual Environment Rendering

Mathematical Modeling and Analysis

• Correlation Spectroscopy
• Lie Algebraic Representation of Rigid Robots
• 3D Image Denoising and Segmentation

Miscellaneous

• Microfluidics for Biology
• Cell and Tissue Engineering
• Low-Cost and Accessible Devices

Technical Background

Current expertise, both practical and theoretical. See some applications of these skills in my engineering portfolio!

Hardware

• Fabrication: PDMS-Based Microfluidics, 3D Printing (FDM & SLA), Metal Machining, Laser Cutting
• Imaging: Quantitative Phase Imaging, Phase Contrast Microscopy, Fluorescence Microscopy
• Electromechanical: UR5 Robots, Pneumatic Bellow Soft Robotics, Arduino, Soldering & Circuitry
• Biology: Mammalian Cell Culture, Nanoparticle-Mediated Gene Delivery, Small Molecule Delivery, Vasculature Modeling in Hydrogels, Gel Electrophoresis

Software

• Programming Languages: MATLAB, Python, Arduino, C#, C++, Java, HTML/JS/CSS
• Libraries/Frameworks: \(\rm \LaTeX\), ROS, OpenCV, Reflexxes, Selenium, MCmatlab (Monte Carlo)
• Tools: Fusion 360, ImageJ, Solidworks, Adobe CC

Selected Coursework

• EN.530.721: Medical Robotics System Design - Prof. Axel Krieger
  • Level: graduate | Project-Based: yes
  • Robot-camera hand-eye registration, intraoperative image analysis (contour detection, fiducial localization), image-guided trajectory tracking, soft robotic actuators modeling and control, clinical regulations, mock surgery experimental design
• EN.530.441: Introduction to Biophotonics - Prof. Ishan Barman
  • Level: undergraduate | Project-Based: proposal only
  • Basic quantum mechanics and optics, absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, Raman spectroscopy, quantitative phase imaging
• EN.530.647: Adaptive Systems and Controls - Prof. Louis Whitcomb
  • Level: graduate | Project-Based: no
  • Basic concepts in real analysis and Lyapunov stability theory, adaptive system identification, model-reference adaptive control (direct and indirect), adaptive observers, adaptive trajectory-tracking of rigid robots (computed torque/exactly linearizing, sliding mode, inverse dynamics)

University Honors and Awards

A digital trophy shelf of sorts from my time at Hopkins. Putting those bragging rights to use!

Honor Societies

• Pi Tau Sigma, Tau Alpha Chapter: Inducted November 11, 2023
  • Vice President, 2024-2025
• Tau Beta Pi, Maryland Alpha Chapter: Inducted November 10, 2023
  • Treasurer, 2024-2025
• A. James Clark Scholars Program, Johns Hopkins University: Admitted March 19, 2021

Recent Awards

• Robert George Gerstmyer Award: May 23, 2024
  • JHU MechE faculty-chosen award for “outstanding undergraduate achievement in mechanical engineering”
• Dean’s List: Spring 2024 Semester
• JHU Multicultural Leadership Council’s Student Organization of the Year Award: April 23, 2024
  • Awarded to the Filipino Students Association 2023-2024 Executive Board
• Dean’s List: Fall 2023 Semester
• Johns Hopkins Medicine Radiology Research Day Pre-Clinical Poster Award: November 14, 2023
  • Statistical Heterospectroscopy of MALDI Imaging and NMR Spectroscopy Data for Evaluation of Breast Tumor Models
• Dean’s List: Spring 2023 Semester
• Omicron Delta Kappa, Beta Circle Membership Invitation: April 5, 2023
  • (Decided not to accept the invitation for financial reaasons)
• Dean’s List: Fall 2022 Semester
• Dean’s List: Spring 2022 Semester
• Dean’s List: Fall 2021 Semester
• JHU MechE Freshman Design Competition Winner: December 1, 2021
  • Head-to-head tournament of design teams using gravitational potential energy to accurately launch flying discs towards a target