We are very pleased to welcome Sam Sung, a PhD student from Drexel University and the laboratory of Kara Spiller, to our group. Sam joins us for one year as a Fulbright Fellow—a distinction that reflects both the prestige and selectiveness of the Fulbright Program, which supports outstanding young researchers in building international scientific collaboration. His arrival strengthens our growing partnership with Kara Spiller’s lab, internationally recognized for expertise in biomaterials and immuno-engineering.

Sam’s project will focus on understanding and enhancing the interaction between human macrophages and hydrogels to improve wound healing. Macrophages play a central role in skin regeneration: they orchestrate the inflammatory response, clear debris, guide new tissue formation, and help transition the wound from inflammation toward repair and remodeling. When macrophage activity is disrupted—such as in chronic wounds—the healing process stalls. By combining engineered hydrogels with well-defined human macrophage populations, Sam aims to explore how biomaterials can influence macrophage behavior and ultimately promote more efficient and controlled skin repair.

During his Fulbright year, Sam will work closely with our team to generate human macrophages from defined stem-cell sources and integrate them into advanced hydrogel systems. The project will identify how material properties shape immune responses and how we can harness these interactions to design next-generation wound-healing strategies. We are excited to have Sam with us and look forward to a highly productive year of scientific exchange and innovation.