Institution: Duke University Graduate Program: Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering
Education: B.S. in Physics with concentration in Biophysics and a minor in Math, University of New Mexico
Mentors: Dr. Shyni Varghese, Duke University; Dr. Stefan Zaucher, Duke University
Gavin Gonzales thought he would go into physics. He had been inspired towards academic research by Dr. Richard Feynman, the Nobel laureate physicist, and physics was his undergraduate major. But his path was altered by an NIH-sponsored fellowship designed to diversify an entirely different field: biomedicine. As part of the Maximizing Access to Research Careers program, Gonzales did a summer at Duke University, where he studied the optimization of hydrogels to promote the 3D growth of cells.
“I found that I was constantly happy doing what I was doing,” Gonzales said. “Reading papers was fun, taking classes was fun. It just felt rewarding to solve problems and put the larger picture together.”
Looking to find out more, he sent emails to 10 Duke professors, asking about the biomedical program, and seeing if he could meet students in it.
“I was amazed at how cool and how different the research in biomedical engineering was,” he said. “I could use a lot of the fundamental skills that I learned in my undergraduate degree in physics and apply them to solve a problem that would end up helping people.”
In the future, Gonzales’s research might allow older people the continued ability to walk. He’s designing a new injectable lubricant that can both bind to cartilage and protect it from degenerating, thus limiting the progress of osteoarthritis. At the same time, Gonzales is working on a joint-on-a-chip device that can simulate the natural motions that knee joints experience when a person is walking or running. This will help scientists better understand the impacts of compression on cartilage health and allow them to optimize the lubricant.
“How we can keep people moving as they age is a challenge on a societal level,” said Dr. Melissa Bostrom, assistant dean for graduate student professional development at Duke University. “[Gonzales] is really positioned to make an impact on aging adults with his research.”
