PEOPLE

Erin Henslee, Ph.D.

Engineering Department Founding Faculty

Assistant Professor

Co-founder of Hidden Stem

The electrophysiologic properties of cells, measured through lab-on-a-chip assays, can be used to delineate how these properties relate to disease, drug resistance, circadian biology and cell patterning. I strive to find ways for engineering applications to complement, improve upon, or give new insights to existing lab-based measurement tools.

Additionally I am interested in the areas of sustainable practice of lab-based research, e-sport science, PhD and early career researcher development, and public engagement with research.

Phone: 336.702.1963

Office: 455 Vine Street, Bldg 60 South, Room 4511

Email: hensleea@wfu.edu

Twitter: @e_henslee

Education

PhD, Biomedical Engineering (University of Surrey, UK)

Grad Cert., Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (University of Surrey, UK)

MSc, Biomedical Engineering (Virginia Tech-Wake Forest, US)

BSc, Engineering Science & Mechanics (Virginia Tech, US)

BSc, Mathematics (Virginia Tech, US)

Edwin Lavi, Ph.D.

Edwin is a postdoctoral researcher in the Henslee Lab in the Engineering Department at Wake Forest University. His research focuses on elucidating the connection between membrane potential, zeta-potential, and DEP properties during disease progression. He graduated in five years from Johns Hopkins University with a B.S. and M.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular engineering. There, Edwin developed and refined techniques to fabricate biomedical devices on a microscale with integrated electronics. In 2019, Dr. Lavi began his Ph.D. as the first student in Dr. Zachary Ganon's Microfluidics lab. During his Ph.D. he published two first author manuscripts focusing on the health and quality of stored blood units using Dielectrophoresis and spectroscopy. 

Email: Lavie@wfu.edu

Brandon Eberl, B.S.

Brandon is a 5th year PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering Program in the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He graduated from the University of South Carolina at Aiken (USC Aiken) in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Process Engineering. Currently, Brandon is conducting research under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Henslee. Specifically, Brandon’s PhD dissertation work focusses on investigating the underlying mechanisms that modulate the surface “zeta” potential, a key biophysical parameter responsible for cell aggregation in red blood cells (RBCs). Utilizing benchtop analysis techniques, Brandon models human RBC disease processes in vitro. Brandon is interested in translating these in vitro findings to further demonstrate the efficacy of zeta potential as a “biosensor” for monitoring RBC function and blood clot formation in clinical practice, as well as predicting component failure in extracorporeal and cardiovascular bypass circuits.

Email: eberlb@wfu.edu

Office: 455 Vine Street, Bldg 60 South, Room 0906

Sydney Joseph, B.S.

Sydney  is a 1st year PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering Program in the Wake Forest School of Medicine. She graduated from Wake Forest University in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering with a concentration in Biomedical Engineering. During Sydney's undergraduate career she studied the mechanisms of Eryptosis in Red Blood Cells (RBCs) using Dielectrophoresis (DEP). Additionally, Sydney assisted in experiments studying the effect of oxidative stress on human RBCs using DEP. Additionally, Sydney spent time at the University of California, Irvine studying the glycocalyx of human adipose derived human mesenchymal stem cells using DEP and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Sydney Is excited to continue her work with RBCs and exploring non-invasive avenues of diseases research and detection. 

Email: sydney.joseph@icloud.com

Office: 455 Vine Street, Bldg 60 South, Room 0906