Edikan Ogunnaike
Biography
Dr. Ogunnaike is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University School of Medicine and the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. Her research focuses on engineering physiologic biomaterials to improve the delivery, efficacy, and persistence of immunotherapies for solid tumors and maternal diseases. Operating at the convergence of bioengineering, immunology, and nanotechnology, her laboratory develops translational platforms that modulate immune–material interactions, interrogate host–tissue dynamics, and precisely target therapeutic payloads to the immune microenvironment.
Committed to developing the next generation of scientists, Dr. Ogunnaike fosters a rigorous, collaborative training environment that encourages interdisciplinary thinking and scientific independence. She provides intentional mentorship in research design, professional development, and career navigation, preparing trainees for leadership across academia, industry, and clinical translation. Beyond the laboratory, she actively supports outreach initiatives that expand access to biomedical research and strengthen the future workforce, reflecting a dedication to both scientific innovation and community impact.
Education
- Postdoc. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Ph.D. Engineering Science, University of South Florida
- B.S./M.S. Chemistry, Florida A&M University
Research Interests
Prof. Ogunnaike’s research investigates quantitative approaches to understand and model biological systems, with particular attention to signal processing and data-driven analysis in biomedical contexts. His work involves developing computational frameworks to analyze complex biological data and improve understanding of physiological processes. This research actively incorporates interdisciplinary methods to address challenges in biomedicine, supporting innovation through quantitative and systems-level analysis.
The goal of Ogunnaike's lab is to advance research at the intersection of translational strategies for treating solid tumors and maternal diseases by engineering physiologic biomaterials that enhance the efficacy, persistence, and safety of small-molecule and cell-based immunotherapies. Her laboratory operates at the physical science-biomaterials-oncology interface, integrating immune and molecular engineering with nanotechnology to design clinically actionable therapies. Core efforts focus on deciphering immune-material interactions to create next-generation delivery systems, developing platforms to probe host–tissue dynamics in health and disease, and targeting therapeutic payloads to the immune microenvironment for precise disease modulation.
