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Joshua Mesfin

Bioengineering

Joshua Mesfin

Hi! I was born and raised in New York City. I grew up with two very different cultures under my belt: I am both Filipino and Ethiopian. Although my parents sacrificed so much to come to the U.S., they encouraged me to pursue my passions, regardless of what they were. Growing up in New York City has developed me into the person I am today: open-minded, resilient, and (sometimes?) fashionable. 

I completed my undergraduate work at MIT in Biological Engineering. Besides doing endless amounts of schoolwork, I was a liaison between students and MIT Medical (MedLinks) and was an advisor to freshmen. Most importantly, I heavily pursued biological research, in the hopes of contributing towards a cure and positively changing the world. I didn’t know I wanted to pursue research until I arrived at MIT.  While primarily during my undergraduate years I did cancer and immuno-oncology research, I took an interest in pursuing tissue engineering research after taking a biomechanics and tissue engineering class. As biomechanics and tissue engineering are both strong research areas at UC San Diego, I decided to come here for a PhD in Bioengineering! Thanks to the opportunity given to me through the Sloan Fellowship, I hope to give back by becoming a mentor for undergraduates and to inspire other students to pursue a career in research.