Joshua Mesfin

I am a 4th Ph.D. year in the Department of Bioengineering. I grew up in New York City with two very different cultures under my belt: I am both Filipino and Ethiopian. I did my undergraduate degree at MIT, where I became fascinated with the idea of asking questions to get answers on how the world works. After figuring out that this “fascination” turned out to be research, I decided to focus on determining the answers to the questions I (and the world) found interesting, leading me to pursue my PhD. My love for problem solving and desire to come up with practical solutions is what made me interested in translatable research, leading me to work on biomaterial treatments for heart attacks, otherwise known as myocardial infarction. I hope that my curiosity will yield better treatments for patients. During my time in the program, I hope to further understand how research can benefit the clinic, and I hope to give back by being involved in undergraduate and graduate mentorship. I am super grateful towards the ARCS fellowship for giving me better resources to push forward with my research and providing beneficial connections as I start my research career.