Speakers

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  Mike McShane Head of Biomedical Engineering Department at Texas A&M University
  

  Mike McShane

  Head of Biomedical Engineering Department at Texas A&M University

  Dr. Mike McShane is the James J. Cain Professor II in Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he serves as Department Head and is also affiliated with Materials Science & Engineering and the Center for Remote Health Technologies and Systems. Prof McShane’s primary research interests are in biomedical instrumentation and optics, biosensor technology, and biomaterials with emphasis on micro/nanofabrication for responsive materials. In this work, he has pioneered the use of micro/nanoparticles, capsules, and hydrogel-particle composites for development of optical biosensing systems and has assisted in commercialization of related products. Professor McShane is a Fellow of IEEE, SPIE, BMES, and AIMBE. He has served in numerous elected and appointed leadership positions in IEEE including as President of the IEEE Sensors Council, for which he has served as a chair for IEEE SENSORS conferences and is a founding/inaugural chair for IEEE BioSensors conference in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

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  Mary Preston McDougall Director of the NMR RF lab
  

  Mary Preston McDougall

  Director of the NMR RF lab

  Dr. Mary Preston McDougall received her B.S. from Texas A&M University, M.S. from Johns Hopkins University, and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, all in Electrical Engineering. She joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2006 with a courtesy appointment in Electrical Engineering. Dr. McDougall directs the NMR RF lab (http://nmrrf.engr.tamu.edu/) with research focused on developing new hardware and methodologies for MR imaging and spectroscopy, focused on detecting novel MR-based biomarkers of disease, including breast cancer and muscular dystrophy. She has been instrumental in the acquisition of over $12 million in external funding, has graduated twelve PhD students and six MS students, and mentored over forty undergraduate researchers. Dr. McDougall has taught over 1500 students in her time at Texas A&M, developed several courses, and received multiple teaching awards. She has served as the Director of Undergraduate Programs for her department and currently serves as the Associate Department Head. Dr. McDougall is active in the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and has served on the Annual Meeting Planning Committee, as President of the Engineering Study Section, and given an invited Plenary at the annual meeting. She currently serves as the Deputy Editor for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and is a standing member of the NIH Imaging Technology Development study section.

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  Arul Jayaraman Executive Associate Dean in the College of Engineering, Ray B. Nesbitt Endowed Chair and Regents Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University
  

  Arul Jayaraman

  Executive Associate Dean in the College of Engineering, Ray B. Nesbitt Endowed Chair and Regents Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University

  Dr. Arul Jayaraman is the Executive Associate Dean in the College of Engineering, Ray B. Nesbitt Endowed Chair and Regents Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. He has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences, Pilani (India) and a MS from Tufts University, where he worked with Prof. Edward Goldberg on folding of Phage T4 tail fibers. He completed his doctoral work at the University of California at Irvine with Prof. Thomas Wood and worked on engineering biofilms for excluding sulfate-reducing bacteria. He joined Prof. Martin Yarmush’s group at Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow in 1998 to work on modulation of the acute phase response in the liver. He was promoted to Instructor in Bioengineering at Harvard Medical School in 2000 and developed a new thrust in living cell microarrays. Dr. Jayaraman joined Texas A&M in 2004, was tenured in 2010, and promoted to Professor in 2013, and served as department head from 2019 – 2022. His lab works on investigating the interaction between the intestinal microbiota and immune cells in the intestinal tract. He has won numerous awards including the Association of Former Students Distinguished Teaching award and Distinguished Alumnus Award from BITS, Pilani. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and a Texas A&M University Presidential Impact Fellow. Dr. Jayaraman’s lab is funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and DARPA.

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  Faisal Khan Mike O'Connor II Chair Professor and Head of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University
  

  Faisal Khan

  Mike O'Connor II Chair Professor and Head of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University

  Dr. Faisal Khan is an internationally recognized leader in process safety and risk engineering. He serves as the Mike O’Connor II Chair Professor and Head of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he also directs the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center and the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI). Previously, he held the prestigious Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He is elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, AIChE, and CSChE, the Canadian Institution of Engineers. Dr. Khan has advised multinational corporations and governments worldwide on the issue of safety and risk management. His extensive academic contributions include over 700 research articles and the mentorship of more than 200 graduate students. He serves as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Process Safety & Environmental Protection (Elsevier).

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  Nikolaos Michailidis Professor and Director of the Physical Metallurgy Laboratory (PML), School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)
  

  Nikolaos Michailidis

  Professor and Director of the Physical Metallurgy Laboratory (PML), School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)

  Dr. Nikolaos Michailidis is Professor and Director of the Physical Metallurgy Laboratory (PML), School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Greece and Chair of the Centre for Research & Development οn Advanced Materials. He served as Research Professor at Texas A&M University (2018-2024). He is Board Member of the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS), Deputy Board Member of Space Partnership Association for the Competitiveness of Europe (S.P.A.C.E) AISBL (S.P.A.C.E AISBL), and co-founder of PLiN Nanotechnology S.A. (AUTH’s spin-off). He is Fellow of the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP), Fellow of International Academy of Engineering and Technology (AET), Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Materials by Taylor & Francis and FEMS, Scientific Coordinator of Megaproject 1: Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Thessaloniki International Technology Center (ThessINTEC), and member of various Scientific Societies and Boards. Served as President of the Hellenic Metallurgical Society (2016-2022), Chair of EUROMAT 2019, Chair of the 73rd CIRP General Assembly ‘24, and Chair of the 14th European Aeronautics Science Network (EASN) 2024, Chair of ESAFORM’26. He serves as Director of the Interdepartmental Post Graduate Studies Program: “Processes & Technology of Advanced Materials” – AUTH), steering committee member of the Interdepartmental Post Graduate Studies Program: “Biomedical Engineering” at AUTH and Coordinator of the Dual Master’s Program on “Design and Manufacturing of Sustainable Medical Devices”, between AUTH and TAMU. He was Visiting Professor at Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT), Aachen-Germany (2008-2009). His research interests include: Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Materials and Composites, Nanotechnology, Biomaterials & Bioengineering, Porous Materials, Coatings and Inspection.

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  Saurabh Biswas Professor of Practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Executive Director Technology Transition at Texas A&M Engineering
  

  Saurabh Biswas

  Professor of Practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Executive Director Technology Transition at Texas A&M Engineering

  Dr. Saurabh Biswas brings more than two decades of combined experience in medical technology innovation, technology commercialization and venture investment around medical device innovations. He is presently Professor of Practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Executive Director Technology Transition at Texas A&M Engineering. His primary interests are design and development of medicals devices in cardiology, neurovascular and pulmonary health. He also leads the Texas A&M NSF I-Corps Innovation Hub and has been a key participant in the National Innovation Network from its inception in 2012. He has also served in various leadership roles at Texas A&M University System over last 20 years as Executive Director of Commercialization, Director of New Ventures where he led all aspects of new venture creation, investments in start-ups, translational programs and technology transfer. He is Senior member of National Academy of Inventors, holds 24 patents and co-founder of five health care startups where he has served in management roles at formation as CEO & CTO. He holds a PhD in biomedical Engineering and completed the Executive Program in Finance from Sloan School at MIT.

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  Maria Lyons Program manager for external relations at Texas A&M University
  

  Maria Lyons

  Program manager for external relations at Texas A&M University

  Maria Lyons has worked as a staff member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University for over 14 years. After spending six years supporting the academic programs as an advisor to students at all degree levels, she now serves as the program manager for external relations. In this role, Maria engages with current and prospective alumni, industry connections, research collaborators, donors and other community members to elevate the awareness and status of the department. She is eager to support the dual degree program between BME@TAMU and AUTh by engaging in the marketing and recruiting initiatives required to ensure success.

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  Dimitris C. Lagoudas University Distinguished Professor and holder of the Robert C. “Bud” Hagner Chair in Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University
  

  Dimitris C. Lagoudas

  University Distinguished Professor and holder of the Robert C. “Bud” Hagner Chair in Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University

  Dimitris C. Lagoudas, Ph.D., P.E. is a University Distinguished Professor and holder of the Robert C. “Bud” Hagner Chair in Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he is currently serving again as Interim Department Head. He also holds a joint appointment in Materials Science and Engineering. Over his career, Dr. Lagoudas has shaped the future of engineering through leadership roles, including Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Engineering Research and Deputy Director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), as well as Department Head of Aerospace Engineering and inaugural Chair of the Materials Science and Engineering graduate program.
  A globally recognized expert in smart materials and adaptive structures, Dr. Lagoudas has co-authored more than 550 scientific publications and several influential books. His research on shape memory alloys has transformed aerospace systems, enabling innovations in morphing structures and multifunctional materials. With an h-index of 81, his research impact ranks among the top in engineering worldwide and continues to inspire breakthroughs in advanced materials and design.
  Dr. Lagoudas is a Fellow of AIAA, ASME, and SES and has earned prestigious honors, including the ASME Adaptive Structures and Material Systems Prize and the SPIE Smart Structures and Materials Lifetime Achievement Award. He holds honorary doctorates from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and ENSAM, France. His leadership has driven major research initiatives funded by NASA, NSF, DoD, and industry, advancing technologies from structural batteries to adaptive aerostructures—pushing the boundaries of what is possible in aerospace engineering.

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  Harry A. Hogan Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University
  

  Harry A. Hogan

  Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University

  Dr. Harry A. Hogan is Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. In this role, he oversees academic programs (both graduate and undergraduate), as well as student programs for leadership, honors, enrichment, student success, and global experiences. Prior to this he served as Associate Dean for Graduate programs from 2018 to 2021. He is also a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and served as Undergraduate Program Coordinator from 2003 to 2013, overseeing advising and academic operations. Dr. Hogan teaches courses in solid mechanics, mechanical design, and finite element modeling, and he has taught in Engineering Study Abroad Programs 13 times (8 in Spain, 5 in France). His research has focused on interdisciplinary collaborations for ground-based rodent research projects supported by NASA studying the effects of microgravity on the musculoskeletal system. He has mentored over 40 graduate students and has served the profession providing reviews of papers and proposals, including over 300 NIH (National Institutes of Health) applications during 15-plus years of service on NIH Study Sections. Dr. Hogan is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

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  John C. Criscione Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University & Co-Director of the Masters in BioInnovation Program.
  

  John C. Criscione

  Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University & Co-Director of the Masters in BioInnovation Program.

  John C. Criscione, MD, PhD is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University and Co-Director of the Masters in BioInnovation Program. His specialty area is the design, development, modeling, and testing of medical devices to treat heart disease. After graduating from an MD/PhD program at Johns Hopkins, he trained as a post-doc in cardiovascular research at University of California San Diego until starting at Texas A&M University in 2001. In addition to being active in cardiovascular research, he is an inventor on 15 issued patents that are licensed to CorInnova, a company that he co-founded to commercialize device discoveries.

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  Maria Claudia B. Alves Executive Director for Halliburton Engineering Global Programs at Texas A&M University
  

  Maria Claudia B. Alves

  Executive Director for Halliburton Engineering Global Programs at Texas A&M University

  Maria Claudia B. Alves is an innovative leader and the Executive Director for Halliburton Engineering Global Programs at Texas A&M University, where she has transformed the College of Engineering’s global footprint since 2012. With over 20 years of expertise, she has tripled student participation by pioneering high-impact models such as international research and project-based field trips. Her career is anchored in a tradition of excellence, beginning as a 2001 NCAA Division II National Champion in Women’s Tennis and continuing through her receipt of the TAMU Tradition of Excellence Award (2007) and the Fulbright IEA France Award (2021). A Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration, Dr. Alves currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce (2025–2026) and the steering council of the Annual Colloquium for International Engineering Education. Beyond her administrative leadership, she is a regular contributor to the global conversation on engineering education, fostering deep-rooted international ties to ensure Texas A&M remains at the forefront of academic innovation

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  Robert H. Bishop Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Texas A&M University College of Engineering and director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.
  

  Robert H. Bishop

  Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Texas A&M University College of Engineering and director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.

  Dr. Robert H. Bishop ’79 serves as the vice chancellor and dean of the Texas A&M University College of Engineering and director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. Bishop graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M before earning his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at Rice University. In 1990, he became a faculty member at The University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, where he later held an endowed position and served as department chair. Bishop served as dean of engineering at Marquette University starting in 2010. In 2014, he was selected to lead The University of South Florida’s College of Engineering before returning to Texas A&M in 2024. As an active researcher and scholar, Bishop is a specialist in the area of systems theory, guidance and control of spacecraft, and navigation and estimation theory with applications across a broad range of aerospace challenges. He has extensive experience working with NASA and the Department of Defense.

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  Magdalini Lagoudas Executive Director of Industry and Non-Profit Partnerships and Instructional Associate Professor in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University
  

  Magdalini Lagoudas

  Executive Director of Industry and Non-Profit Partnerships and Instructional Associate Professor in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University

  Magdalini Lagoudas is an engineering educator dedicated to advancing student success through industry partnership, innovation, and experiential learning. She serves as Executive Director of Industry and Non-Profit Partnerships and Instructional Associate Professor in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University, where she forges connections among students, industry, government, and nonprofit organizations to create meaningful, real-world learning experiences. She leads efforts to streamline industry engagement with academic programs, including sponsored capstone projects, and oversees the Engineering Project Showcase every semester, bringing together more than 2,000 graduating seniors and over 300 industry guests. Her broader initiatives include the AggiE_Challenge program supporting multidisciplinary undergraduate research, mentoring collaborations with NASA, Amazon, and Apple, and contributions to the Southwest I-Corps Hub. With more than three decades at Texas A&M, Lagoudas has held a wide range of leadership and academic roles. She has taught in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Technology, led college-wide recruitment and retention initiatives, and served as Associate Director of the Space Engineering Research Center, where she oversaw structural analysis for multiple payloads, including StarNav I, launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. Her team launched Aggies Invent, and as Principal Investigator of the NSF-funded I-Corps Site, led efforts to support 264 teams with training on customer discovery and minimum viable product. Lagoudas holds a Master of Science from Lehigh University and a diploma from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. She received the 2023 Isadore T. Davis Award for excellence in collaboration of engineering education and industry by the American Society for Engineering Education.