Principal Investigator
Andy Putnam
Leland Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Cardiovascular Medicine
B.S., UCLA (1994)
M.S.E., University of Michigan (1996)
Ph.D., University of Michigan (2001)
Post-doctoral fellowship: Van Andel Institute (2001-2002)
Assistant/Associate Professor, UC Irvine (2003-2009)
Associate Professor, University of Michigan (2009 - 2015)
Associate Chair for Graduate Education (2014-2016)
Director, Cellular Biotechnology Training Program (2014-2020)
Professor, University of Michigan (2015 - present)
Robert C. Leland, Jr. and Donna D. Leland Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Cardiovascular Medicine (2017 - present)
In his research laboratory, Dr. Putnam has trained 20 doctoral students, 10 MS students, 9 post-doctoral fellows, 1 clinical fellow, and >40 undergraduates. He has also served on the doctoral dissertation committees of ~75 individuals. Researchers from his laboratory have gone on to independent careers in both academia and industry, including positions with Abbott, Amgen, Baxter, Edwards Life Sciences, Humacyte, IVIVA Medical, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, and St. Jude Medical.
Current funding all expired in Summer 2026. There will be no opportunities until new funding is secured. Below are some photos of recent group alumni and a link to all alumni affiliated with our group.
Recent PhD Alumni
Atticus McCoy
B.S., Santa Clara University (2019)
M.S.E., University of Michigan (2022)
Ph.D., University of Michigan (2026)
Partially supported by the Cardiovascular Research and Entrepreneurship T32 (2023-2025)
Irene Zhang
B.S., Arizona State University (2021)
M.S.E., University of Michigan (2022)
Ph.D., University of Michigan (2026)
Partially supported by the Cellular Biotechnology Training Program T32 (2022-2024)
Recent Lab Alumni: Research Specialists
Dina Dragoljic
B.S., Florida Institute of Technology (2021)
M.S.E., University of Michigan (2023)
Currently PhD Student at UM
Brooke Berens
B.S., University of Michigan (2023)
M.S.E., University of Michigan (2024)
Currently: Clinical Account Specialist at Biosense-Webster
Recent Lab Alumni: M.S. Students
Lucia Choi
B.S., University of Michigan (2023)
M.S.E., University of Michigan (2024)
Currently Law Student at UM
Mrittika Sarkar
B.Tech, Amity University, Mumbai (2023)
M.S.E., University of Michigan (2025)
Currently Research Associate, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
