UMMC Biomedical Materials Science PhD Program

A special visit from founding Program Director Dr. St. John, pictured with current Program Director Dr. Salazar Marocho and our BMS PhD students, reminding us that excellence is built across generations. This is what legacy looks like.

We were honored to host Mahesh K. Gangishetty from Mississippi State University for both the BMS Bench to Clinic Seminar Series and the first 2026 UPSTART Seminar.
Dr. Gangishetty shared exciting insights into the design of luminescent materials and polymers for next-generation light-emitting technologies, highlighting how the fundamental interactions between light and matter can be harnessed to create brighter, more efficient, and more sustainable optoelectronic devices. His research spans advanced luminescent materials, LEDs, and energy-conversion technologies, with applications ranging from displays and lighting to emerging photonic devices.
The audience, which included high school, undergraduate, dental, and PhD students, contributed to a thoughtful and engaging discussion that set a strong tone for the seminar.
Thank you, Dr. Gangishetty, for sharing your expertise and inspiring discussion!

Congratulations to the BMS & DMD students who presented at IADR 2026 San Diego! The DMD students are former UPSTART students, where they got their initial research experience. The conference was a great opportunity to see quality dental research from around the world. Special congratulations to Nicholas McGowan on receiving the Oral Health Research Young Investigator Award and to Renan Brandenburg dos Santos for receiving 2nd place in the Frechette Award!

UMMC is representing in Atlanta! A fantastic group of students and faculty from the Biomedical Materials Science Department at the University of Mississippi Medical Center attended this year’s Society for Biomaterials Conference—bringing energy, innovation, and a strong sense of community to every session.
We’re especially proud of our senior students, Sheetal Chowdhury and Chipo Chapusha, who both delivered outstanding oral presentations—with Chipo taking the stage twice back-to-back! Both were recognized with Star Student Travel Awards, a huge accomplishment and a testament to their hard work and dedication.
Dr. Haden Johnson also represented our department with an engaging oral presentation, contributing valuable insight to the field. Our students continued to shine through a wide range of poster presentations, showcasing the depth and diversity of research happening across our program.
We were also excited to have a dental student and a summer intern from another institution join us, both presenting research in collaboration with our department—highlighting the strength of our interdisciplinary partnerships.
From first-time presenters to seasoned researchers, this trip was filled with learning, networking, and memorable moments. Proud of our team for representing UMMC with excellence!
Here’s to advancing science and building connections in Atlanta—until next time, SFB!

We miss you, Raphaelle! Raphaelle Monteiro, , visited our department from the University of São Paulo to conduct research for a year. Her research focused on the mechanical properties of multilayer zirconia. You always have a home here at BMS, Raphaelle!