Regina Rajbanshi: Outstanding Senior in Biomedical Engineering

Regina Rajbanshi has always been fascinated by math and biology as tools for understanding and explaining the world with clarity. As an undergraduate student at the University of California, Davis, her curiosity led her to discover where they intersect as a biomedical engineer. 

Through her research, Rajbanshi found that engineering can clearly explain complicated and notoriously difficult-to-study biological systems. 

Working in the lab of Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Randy Carney, she engineered an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier. The project led to research about how the in vitro model can reveal the mechanisms foreign materials use to penetrate into the brain, such as nanoplastics, which are invisible to the human eye and typically airborne, as opposed to the heavier, larger microplastics.  

Her passion for using engineering to solve medical issues shone through her senior design project, creating a device for detecting cervical insufficiency, a condition that can lead to miscarriages and premature births. She said that when her team first tested the prototype of the sensor with biological tissue, it was the highlight of her undergraduate experience. 

“In that moment, everything came together: the biology, the circuits and the engineering,” she said. “It proved why I chose this field. Seeing our work function in a real-world context made all the challenges along the way feel worth it.” 

Outside of research and classes, Rajbanshi pointed to her experience helping organize the Department of Biomedical Engineering’s first undergraduate alumni seminar as something that shaped her approach to engineering. 

“While there have traditionally been graduate alumni speakers,” she said, “creating a space for an undergraduate alum to speak directly to current students felt especially meaningful. [The speaker] was incredibly relatable and down to earth and gave students a real sense of possibility for their own futures. More than anything, it reinforced how important building community is for me.” 

After graduation, Rajbanshi will begin a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering through the joint program offered by Georgia Tech and Emory University. 

“I hope to continue working in the intersection of biology and engineering, applying these ideas to solve meaningful problems in biomedical research.”