Foluso Akin-Ige
Foluso is the first member of SMPD, helping to start the lab in August 2022. Her research sits at the intersection of smart materials, drug delivery and sustainable formulation design with a focus on facile, sustainable approaches to engineering smart and responsive gels/hydrogels for enhanced stability and controlled delivery of active ingredients (e.g drugs, proteins/peptides, fragrance molecules, etc) in a wide range of applications.
Current research projects
- Biopolymer-based Injectable, Self-healing hydrogel for delivery of skin peptides
- 3D Printable Stimuli-responsive Gels
Contact information
Maria Calderon Vaca
Maria joined SMPD in August 2024. Leading our biopharmaceuticals team, Maria's research focuses on understanding protein interactions in biopharmaceutical products, as well as in food science and consumer products. Applying this knowledge to predict formulation properties and optimize key performance attributes.
Current research projects
- Machine Learning Guided Stable Biophamaceutical Formulation Design
- Optimizing Monoclonal Antibody Strucutre and Dynamics Through Formulation Variables
- Next-Generation Plant-Based Food Formulations
Contact information
Email: mdc298@miami.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-calderon-vaca/
Casey Posner
Casey joined our lab in August 2024. She leads our consumer products research team where she focuses on the use of biosurfactants to strategically design their performance and function within cosmetic and personal care formulations.
Current research projects
- Optimization of biosurfactants for cosmetic performance
- Photoprotective emulsions using low molecular weight biosurfactants
Contact information
Email: cxp2970@miami.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-posner
