Principal Investigator
Lucas (Luke) Timmins
Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering (courtesy), Department of Translational Medical Sciences (courtesy) | Texas A&M University
Associate Professor, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences (courtesy) | Houston Methodist Academic Institute
Affiliate Faculty Member, Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute | University of Utah
lucas.timmins@tamu.edu
(he/him)
Post-doc, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory Univ. School of Medicine, 2010-2016
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M Univ., 2010
Whitaker International Fellowship, Pathology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, 2007
B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M Univ., 2005
Hometown: Port Neches, TX
Hobbies: golfing, backpacking, skiing, smoking meats, brewing beer
Graduate Students
Caleb Berggren
caleb.berggren@utah.edu
Ph.D. candidate, Biomedical Engineering, Univ. of Utah
M.S., Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2019
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2014
Hometown: Blair, NE
Project: Prognostic Value of Plaque Stress to Identify Rapid Coronary Artery Disease Progression
Hobbies: spending time with my wife, friends and family, soccer, snowboarding, video games, discussing/learning about how the world works
David Jiang
david.jiang@utah.edu
(he/him)
Ph.D. candidate, Biomedical Engineering, Univ. of Utah
B.S./M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Univ. of Utah, 2020
Hometown: Orem, UT
Project: Establishment of Robust Computational Frameworks to Evaluate the Biomechanics of Coronary Vascular Devices
Hobbies: video games, DIY, foodie
Muhammad Usman
musman1@tamu.edu
(he/him)
Ph.D. candidate, Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M Univ.
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan, 2021
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, International Islamic University (IIUI), Pakistan, 2018
Hometown: Faisalabad/Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Project: Promoting Confidence in Patient-specific Models of Coronary Hemodynamics via Uncertainty Quantification
Hobbies: strength training, swimming, cooking, cycling
Yifan (Jack) Wang
yifan.jack.wang@tamu.edu
(he/him)
Ph.D. candidate, Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M Univ.
M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Univ. of Utah, 2023
Post-baccalaureate Fellowship, Rice 360º Institute for Global Health, 2017-2019
B.S., Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon Univ., 2017
Hometown: Shijiazhuang, China
Project: Image-based Computational Framework to Evaluate In Vivo Material Properties of Coronary Arteries
Hobbies: photography, running, cycling, hiking, soccer
Yannik Balster
jybalster@tamu.edu
(he/him)
Ph.D. candidate, Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University
B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2025
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Project: TBD
Hobbies: backpacking, snowboarding, video games, rock climbing, football, baseball, drumming
Olivia Dillenbeck
odillenb@tamu.edu
Ph.D. candidate, Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University
B.S., Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, 2025
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Project: TBD
Hobbies: golf, soccer, pickleball, hiking/long walks
Undergraduate Students
Peter Castillo
pnc3717@tamu.edu
(he/him)
B.S. candidate, Computer Science, Texas A&M
Hometown: Kingwood, TX
Project: Large-scale data conversion across finite element and visualization software platforms
Hobbies: music, chess, tennis, friends and family
Alumni
William (Billy) Jeon
Summer 2017, Summer Program for Undergraduate Research
B.S., Bioengineering, Rice University, 2018
Erika Kvalem-Soto
2017-2018
B.E., Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 2018
Michael Keyser
2019-2021
B.S., Electrical and Computing Engineering, Applied Mathematics, University of Utah 2023