Yusef Syed

Clinical Trial Coordinator and Research Assistant
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Project webpage:
Microfluidic circulating tumor cell capture

212 Kimball Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
yas5 (at) cornell.edu

Biography

Yusef Syed returned to the Micro/Nanofluidics Laboratory in May 2012 after having served as a member of the group during his graduate studies at Cornell. Yusef received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University in 2005, and his Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in 2007 (thesis title: “Specie-Specific Separations of Bacterial Cells and Spores in Microfluidic Devices Using Insulator-Based Dielectrophoresis“). Upon completing his studies at Cornell, Yusef joined ExxonMobil Research and Engineering in Houston, TX as a consulting engineer, later transferring to their Fairfax, VA headquarters. Over the course of his four year tenure in the energy industry he served in a number of roles. including: project engineer, technology licensing specialist, crude oil trading coordinator, and liaison to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt.

Current Projects

Yusef is currently the lead technical coordinator for an ongoing clinical trial concerning the use of taxane-based chemotherapy treatments used to combat prostate cancer. As part of his duties, Yusef is assist in the laboratory testing procedures, the improvement of testing protocols, and the exploration of disease mechanisms. Furthermore, his position also involves facilitating communications with collaborators at the Weill Cornell Medical College.

Honors and Awards

  • Merck Award for Scholastic Achievement (2012)
  • Honorable Mention, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2006)
  • Francis A. Pratt Scholarship, Yale University (2001-2005)
  • York Hall Scholarship, Yale University (2001-2005)
  • Member, Tau Sigma Honor Society

Education

Johns Hopkins University       
Graduate Certificate – Financial Management (2011)
Quantitative Finance Concentration

Cornell University
Master of Engineering (2006), Mechanical Engineering
Thesis Title: “Specie-Specific Separations of Bacterial Cells and Spores in
             Microfluidic Devices Using Insulator-Based Dielectrophoresis”

Yale University
Bachelor of Science (2005), Mechanical Engineering

Publications

  • B.G. Hawkins, A.E. Smith, Y.A. Syed, B.J. Kirby,  “Continouous-flow particle separation by 3D insulative dielectrophoresis using coherently shaped, DC-biased, AC electric fields,” Analytical Chemistry, 2007