If you step into Associate Research Professor Kartik Bulusu and Department Chair Michael Plesniak’s Biofluid Dynamics Lab on any given day, you’ll find researchers working tirelessly to investigate how blood flows through the heart. These researchers are improving their simulations of the heart’s function to better predict how a real human heart will behave, enabling more accurate diagnosis and treatment of blood-related diseases.
What might surprise you, though, is that multiple undergraduate students work in the mechanical and aerospace engineering professor’s lab, all collaborating on cutting-edge biofluid dynamics research alongside graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.
Two GW Engineering students have been awarded the 2026-2027 Undergraduate Research Award to support their innovative, impactful work in the lab. Toby Pike is a mechanical and aerospace engineering student who works in Professor Bulusu’s lab, while Abdelrahman Moharram is a computer science and chemistry student working in Professor Cynthia Dowd’s Organic Synthesis and Medicinal Chemistry Lab.
The award, provided by the GW Center for Undergraduate Fellowships & Research and sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and the Office of the Provost, supports exceptional undergraduate students in conducting a well-defined research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor in their chosen fields of study.
The fellowship provides awardees with $5,000 to support their research-related expenditures, including living expenses, travel, materials, and equipment. Faculty mentors receive a $1,000 stipend.
“At GW, we are fortunate to have several mechanisms whereby talented undergraduate students can compete for and earn fellowships that enable their work in a research lab. The Undergraduate Research Award is a great example of this. Students who participate in research are gaining valuable skills that they wouldn’t get in a classroom,” said Chemistry Professor Cynthia Dowd, Moharram’s faculty mentor.
“This exposure can have a large impact on their college experience, available job opportunities, and their overall career path,” she explained.
“The Center for Undergraduate Fellowships has my gratitude for elevating and helping undergraduate research in GWU,” Professor Bulusu said. "The Undergraduate Research Award ensures that mentors like me and research-focused students like Toby Pike are supported and set up for success in my lab, and that kind of commitment makes a lot of difference.”
“In our lab, we cultivate a collaborative environment that balances mentorship with the intellectual independence necessary for students to grow, innovate, and produce impactful contributions,” Bulusu continued.
“We love helping students like Toby translate classroom knowledge into practical experiences. Supporting our students in their educational journey brings us great joy. We are always happy to welcome more undergraduate students into our lab family,” he said.
Pike joined the lab as a freshman after taking Professor Michael Plesniak’s introductory-level mechanical engineering course. He shared his interest in joining a lab with Prof. Plesniak, who quickly connected him with faculty across the department, ultimately helping him land a spot to work with Prof. Bulusu.
Now wrapping up his sophomore year, Pike is excited and grateful that the Undergraduate Research Award will allow him to focus on his labwork this summer.
“At the heart of my project proposal lies a cutting-edge instrument called a rheometer. It’s a sophisticated instrument that measures the intricate properties of soft-matter materials. These materials aren’t clearly solid or liquid; for example, toothpaste or oobleck,” Pike explained.
“With precise measurements of properties such as viscosity and viscoelasticity, we can characterize materials that mimic blood and certain tissues. These materials, when incorporated into our experiments, help us better understand the human cardiovascular system,” he explained.
“Receiving this award is a tremendous milestone,” Pike continued. “It gives me the time and resources to deeply understand the science and learn the full capabilities of the instrumentation. Working with Professor Bulusu has been nothing short of transformative, bridging the gap between academic foundations and the exciting, real-world challenges that define my growth as a mechanical engineer,” he said.
Pike has been inspired by his drive to make a positive impact. “'When I step into the lab, I am always thinking about the bigger picture; how scientific breakthroughs elevate human care and treatments,” he shared. “I hope my research contributes to outcomes that give people better health and well-being."
Abdelrahman Moharram came to GW as a chemistry major and soon realized he would complete his degree requirements within three years. He decided to add computer science as a major to gain technical skills while still completing the prerequisites for medical school. His work in both majors informed his recent acceptance into a master's program for health data science, bridging healthcare and computer science.
Moharram took Columbian College of Arts & Sciences Professor Cynthia Dowd’s organic chemistry class, finding that he appreciated her teaching style and that he retained many of the concepts despite the challenging subject matter.
He joined her lab after his freshman year and now explores how we can develop antibiotics that target harmful bacteria without killing beneficial bacteria. He collaborates with Prof. Dowd, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to develop and test these antibiotics.
“The best part of working at a university is working with students. Abdelrahman joined my group several months ago and has quickly mastered several techniques essential to organic chemistry. He is applying those techniques to make novel compounds against important human pathogens. He brings enthusiasm and a positive attitude to the project, along with a fresh perspective and creativity. I’m excited to see how the project develops and where Abdel will go in science,” Prof. Dowd shared.
Moharram’s work in the lab aligns well with his part-time job as a pharmacy technician and is an integral step toward his dream of attending medical school.
“GW fosters creativity, it helps you do what you want to do with your career, and that’s something I’ve really appreciated. The opportunities I have gotten here would not be possible at other universities,” Moharram said.
Professor Bulusu expressed his pride in GW students' research contributions, which have real-world impacts within and far beyond our nation’s capital.
“As more undergraduate students seek research opportunities, our lab has evolved into a launching pad for successful careers in academia, industry, and government. We are really proud of our students,” he concluded.