College of Engineering Biomedical Engineering Department

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Fayekah Assanah, Ph.D.

Associate Professor in Residence
Director of Engineering Education Initiatives, CoE
Research Interests:
Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Hydrogels, Cellular response to mechanical forces, Cell interactions with material interfaces.
Address:
Engineering II Room 304B
191 Auditorium Road
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269-3247
Education:
Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut
M.S. Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology
B.S. Electrical Engineering, University of Virginia

Research Summary:

My current research focuses on the synthesis and study of hydrogels under Laser Shock Conditions to model Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Using brain-mimicking hydrogels and exposing them to shock compressions, we can investigate cellular responses to forces that cause TBI. My past research focused on biomaterials and tissue engineering in bone tissue regeneration. This involved combining hydrogel-based cell therapy and acoustic radiation forces via Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS), for healing large scale bone defects. Previous research also involved hydrogels as three-dimensional cultures to study the effects of mechanical forces on axons for repairing spinal cord injury.

Education Research: 

I am an engineering educator focused on transforming how students learn and develop as engineers. I lead UConn’s first-year Foundations of Engineering course and the College of Engineering’s Professional Development course series, where I integrate hands-on, multidisciplinary learning with communication, teamwork, leadership, and career development. My educational research examines project-based and service-learning, scientific communication, career competencies, and neuroinclusive approaches to engineering education.

Selected Publications:

  3. Assanah, F., Paricio J., Scoggin J., Huber M., Cohen M., Santos S., Hubbard C., Russell B., Ionkin K., Hirt S., Work in Progress: Project-Based, Multilevel Teamwork for First-Year Engineering Program, First-Year Programs Division, ASEE 2024. [Link]
  4. Assanah, F., Wagstrom, K., Burkey, D. D., Creed, M. GIFTS: Project-Based Service-Learning for First-Year Engineering Students, First-Year Programs Division, ASEE 2024. [Link]
  5. Russell B., Konstantinou A., Abdallah A., Shor L., Assanah, F., Cultivating Scientific Communication Skills through Professional Development Course Series for the Graduate Curriculum, Evidence-based paper, Graduate Division, ASEE 2024. [Link]
  6. Assanah, F., Anderson, H., Grassie, K., Nair L., and Khan Y., Ultrasound-Derived Mechanical Stimulation of Alginate Hydrogels for Bone Repair: an In Vitro Study. Regen. Eng. Transl. Med. (2023). [Link]
  7. Assanah, F., & Wagstrom, K., & Burkey, D. D., & Creed, M. (2023, June), Work in Progress: Project-Based Service Learning Shapes the Morals of First-Year Engineering Students, 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore, Maryland. [Link]
  8. Assanah F, Grassie K, Anderson H, Xin X, Rowe D, Khan Y. Ultrasound-derived mechanical stimulation of cell-laden collagen hydrogels for bone repair. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2023 Aug;111(8):1200-1215. doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.37508. Epub 2023 Feb 2. PMID: 36728346. [Link]
  9. Assanah F, Khan Y, (2018) Cell responses to physical forces, and how they inform the design of tissue-engineered constructs for bone repair: a review, J. Mater. Sci. 53: 1-21. [Link]
  10. Veronick J A, Assanah F, Piscopo N, Kutes Y, Vyas, V, Nair, L S, Huey BD, Khan Y. (2017) Mechanically Loading Cell/Hydrogel Constructs with Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound for Bone Repair, Tissue Eng. Part A 00: 1-10. [Link]
  11. Assanah F, McDermott C , Malinowski S, Sharmin F, Kumbar S, Adams D J , Khan Y, (2017), Enhancing the Functionality of Trabecular Allografts Through Polymeric Coating for Factor Loading, Regen. Eng. Translational Med. 3: 75-81. [Link]