Ileana Pirozzi

Ileana Pirozzi is a highly accomplished biomedical engineer and researcher who was selected as part of the inaugural cohort of Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University.12

Education and Academic Achievements

Pirozzi completed her undergraduate studies at Brown University, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering.2 During her time at Brown, she demonstrated exceptional academic prowess:

• Received the Distinguished Honors Thesis Prize for her work on microfluidic technologies for cancer diagnostics and next-generation sequencing2
• Awarded the 2018 Outstanding Student in Biomedical Engineering Award2
• Received the Domenico A. Ionata Fund Award for creativity and independence in research2

Knight-Hennessy Scholarship and Stanford University

As a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, Pirozzi pursued a Ph.D. in Bioengineering at Stanford University's School of Engineering.13 This prestigious scholarship program aims to develop future global leaders capable of addressing complex challenges through collaboration and innovation.1 During her time as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, Pirozzi:

• Completed the 3-year King's Global Leadership Program under the mentorship of Dr. John Hennessy2
• Focused her research on the design and pre-clinical development of smart medical devices for structural heart disease2
• Integrated approaches from computational modeling, design thinking, and machine learning in her work2

Research Experience

Pirozzi's research background is extensive and diverse:

• Conducted research at NASA Ames Research Center, focusing on genetic engineering and synthetic biology solutions for space exploration challenges2
• Worked on projects such as bioBactery (voltage generation using engineered E. coli) and self-healing materials2
• Participated in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) '17 team, a joint effort between Stanford University and Brown4

Current Role

As of March 2022, Ileana Pirozzi has been working as a Healthcare Investor and Principal at Exor Ventures2, leveraging her extensive background in biomedical engineering and research to contribute to the healthcare investment sector.