Principal Investigator
Omolola (Lola) Eniola-Adefeso
Omolola (Lola) Eniola-Adefeso is currently the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). She was a Vennema Endowed Professor and Miller Faculty Scholar in the University of Michigan’s Chemical Engineering department. She served as Associate Dean for Graduate and Professional Education and had appointments in Biomedical Engineering as well as Macromolecular Science & Engineering. She earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004 and spent 2 years at Baylor College of Medicine in the department of pediatrics as an NIH postdoctoral fellow.
Dean, College of Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago
Adjunct Professor, Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan
Email: lolaa@umich.edu & lolaea@uic.edu
Honors & Awards
- Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2024)
- Vennema Professor of Chemical Engineering (2023)
- President of American Institute of Medical & Biological Engineering (2023)
- National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Senior Member (2023)
- Chris Jacobs Award for Excellence in Leadership (2023)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Spirit Award (2019)
- Rackham Faculty Recognition Award (2018)
- Elected into the College of Fellows for American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2017)
- Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award (2016)
- Raymond J. and Monica E. Schultz Outreach and Diversity Award (2016)
- College of Engineering Faculty Fellow: University of Michigan (2014)
- Miller Faculty Scholar: University of Michigan College of Engineering (2013)
- NAE Frontier of Engineering Education, Selected Participant (2012)
- University of Michigan Provost Teaching Innovation Award (2012)
- U-M Chemical Engineering, Departmental Research Achievement Award (2012)
- NSF CAREER (2011)
- National Science Foundation Innovator Award (2010)
- American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant (2007)
- American Heart Association University of Michigan Rackham Faculty Development Grant (2006)
- APS/NIDDK Travel Fellowship Awards: EB (2006)
- Baylor College of Medicine NIH T32 Training Grant in Lung Disease (2004 – 2006)
- Janice Lumpkin Awards For Excellence in Arts & Sciences (2003)
- NASA Graduate Research Fellowship (2002-2004)
- GEM Masters Fellowship in Engineering (1999)
- UMBC Meyerhoff Scholarship (1997-1999)
- UMBC MARC U* STAR Scholar (1998 – 1999)
Group Members
Group Members
Chinwe Kamma
PhD Student
Chinwe Evangeline Kamma is a Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago, working under the supervision of Dr. Lola Eniola-Adefeso in the Cell Adhesion and Drug Delivery (CADD) Lab. She holds a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Howard University, where she studied glycosylation in biologics transport through the mucus barrier. Chinwe is also passionate about mentoring women in STEM and advancing inclusive scientific communities.
Email: ckamm6@uic.edu
Sarah Scoles
PhD Student
Sarah is a PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BS in Chemical Engineering and an additional major in Biomedical Engineering in 2024. She is also a member of the Graduate Student Council at UIC. She enjoys running, playing pickleball, and cooking in her free time.
Email: sscoles@uic.edu
Oluwaseun Akanbi
PhD Candidate
Seun is a PhD student whose current research focuses on bile salt particle characterization for improved particle drug delivery. She is also investigating the role of density on hydrogel particle localization/adhesion in the treatment of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. Seun graduated from the University of Lagos, Nigeria with a BS in Chemical Engineering in 2019. She is an e-board member of the National Organization for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) at the University of Michigan. She is also an Officer of the Chemical Engineering Graduate Society (ChEGs), where she organizes and runs STEM experiments for middle school students. Seun enjoys cooking and watching movies in her free time.
Email: oakanbi@umich.edu
Daniel Kupor
PhD Candidate
Daniel is a Ph.D. candidate working on particle-based drug delivery to adipose tissue. Daniel graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego in June 2020. In his free time, Daniel enjoys hiking and playing tennis.
Email: dkupor@umich.edu
La Rue Felder
PhD Candidate
Rue is a PhD candidate working on metal-templated composite particle systems composed of corticosteroids. His work centers on particle fabrication process characterization, in vitro analysis of corticosteroid micro- and nanoparticles, and in vivo modeling of particles for treatment of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. He completed in BS in chemical engineering at the University of Oklahoma, where he researched surface modification of scaffolds for tissue engineering. He then continued school at the University of Oklahoma where he completed his master’s in biomedical engineering. His master’s thesis focused on nutrient delivery for bone tissue-engineered constructs. In his free time, he likes to run, bike, and bake.
Email: mlfelder@umich.edu
Logan Piegols
Post-Doctoral Research Scientist
Logan’s research seeks to better understand the hemodynamics of vascular systems through life-size 3D printed modeling, rigidifying disease model red blood cells, designing novel tissue growth methods, building diagnostics, and other in vitro methods. He received his PhD from the University of Michigan in 2025 in Chemical Engineering. In his free time, Logan likes to hike, cook, and play board games with friends.
Email: lpiegols@uic.edu
Fatemeh Sharifi
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Fatemeh joined the lab in the Fall of 2023
Email: sharifif@umich.edu
Sarah Ganesan
Research Technician
Sarah graduated from Michigan State University in December 2024, majoring in Human Biology and minoring in Business. Currently, Sarah is a Visiting Research Associate in Eniola Lab. In her free time, Sarah likes to spend time with family and travel.
Email: sarahg22@uic.edu
Lab Alumni
| Name | Current Position |
|---|---|
| Dr. Valentina Guevara | Post Doc at University of California Los Angeles |
| Dr. Emma Brannon | Post Doc at University of Maryland |
| Dr. Jonathan Lee | Senior Scientist at Eurofins PSS Insourcing Solutions |
| Xueqi (Effy) Chu | Research Technician |
| Dr. Korie Grayson | AAAS Science & Technology Fellow |
| Violet Sheffey | Science Writer, Engineer, Small-Business Owner |
| Dr. Genesis Lopez | Post Doc Sandia National Labs |
| Dr. Alison Banka | Lecturer at the University of Georgia, School of Chemical, Material, and Biomedical Engineering |
| Dr. Hanieh Safari | Post Doc at University of Delaware |
| Dr. Mario Gutierrez | Senior Scientist in Preclinical Development, Merck |
| Dr. Billy Kelley | Freelance Scientific Editor |
| Dr. Mark Shamoun | Clinical Director - Thoracic Malignancies, Merck |
| Dr. Peter Onyskiw | Upstream Bioprocess Development Scientist |
| Dr. Ploy Phapanin Charoenphol | Associate Professor Texas A&M |
| Sebastian Ojeda | Graduate Student at the University of Southern California |
| Dr. Ben Czaja | High-Performance Computing Advisor at SURF |
| Bill Grier | Senior Process Engineer at Omega Therapeutics |
| Margaret Lugin | Scientist at BlueWillow Logistics |
| Jessica Fleetham (Zilberberg) | Intellectuall Property Attornet at Carlson Gasky & Olds, P.C. |
| Dr. Alex Thompson | Engineer, Consulting Services at RQM+ |
| Alexander Golinksi | Mixing data science and protein engineering |
| Ted A. Zaroff III | Technical Services Engineer |
| Dr. Dan Sobczynski | Principal Systems Engineer at Baxter International Inc., PhD |
| Dr. Mariana Carrasco-Teja | Associate Director, Assistant Research Scientist at Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery & Engineering |
| Dr. Katawut Namdee | National Science and Technology Development Agency | NSTDA · National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC) |
| Dr. Ryan Huang | Patent Examiner at the US Patent & Trademark Office |
| Gabriella Teodoru | University of Michigan, Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate |
| Eric Mastria | UCSF Radiology Resident |
| Dr. Michael Heslinga | Principal Scientist at Merck |
| Dr. Margaret Musser (Fish) | Senior Scientist, Process Development for New Biological Entities at AbbVie |
| Dr. Cathy Fromen | Assistant Professor at University of Delaware |
| Olivia Dotson | Graduate Student at the University of Washington |
| Rebecca Schroder | |
| Han Tran | |
| Margaret Braunreuther | Graduate Student at Stanford University |
| Jeffery Noble | Graduate Student at the Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Anthony Zimmerman | Supplier Quality Engineer at General Motors |