The Gelmi Group
Dr. Gelmi obtained her PhD in 2012 with the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute at the University of Wollongong. In 2012 Dr. Gelmi began a postdoctoral position at Linköping University, for research involving electroactive scaffold design for cardiac patch applications. Dr. Gelmi then joined the Stevens Group at Imperial College London with a MSCA-IF, where her research focused on understanding the behaviour of stem cells on dynamic biomaterials using highly sensitive real time characterisation tools. In 2018 Dr. Gelmi returned to Australia after receiving a Vice Chancellor’s Research Fellowship at RMIT University in order to continue her research on the temporal characterisation of stem cell behaviour on dynamic biomaterials.
Current Members
James attained a BEng in Biomedical Engineering from RMIT University and went on to complete his Msc in Biotechnology at NGM College. He joined The Gelmi Group in 2020 where he began his PhD candidature in Engineering. James’ PhD project looked to focus on the fabrication of 3D printed designs for easy stimulation of stem cells, investigating the effects electrical stimulation have on cell growth and lineage commitment.
Kaiwen obtained a BEng in Materials Science and Engineering from the Department of Materials at Xiamen University in 2018. He then went on to complete his MSc in Advanced Materials Science and Engineering in 2019 from the Department of Materials at Imperial College London. Kaiwen then went on to join the Gelmi Group in 2020, where he successfully finished and submitted his PhD thesis in 2024 on the use Atomic Force Microscopy to characterise stem cells under external stimulation. Kaiwen now holds a Post Doc position within the Gelmi Group.
Merhnoosh earned her BSc in Biotechnology from UTS University in 2018 and her Master’s Degree at RMIT University in 2020 under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Guy and Professor Paul Ramsland. In June 2022, she joined The Gelmi Group as a PhD candidate. Her current research involves exploring how electrical stimulation can enhance bone regeneration in stem cells. Her primary focus is on applying internal or external stimulation, to induce bone formation and prepare the cells for incorporation with biomaterials in 3D printing. Her project is in collaboration with the Melbourne Dental School.
Chayla graduated in 2023 from RMIT University with a BSc (Hons) in Biotechnology. She joined The Gelmi Group in July 2022, undertaking a 6-month research placement. She completed her Honours project with The Gelmi Group in 2023, looking to understand the biomechanical response of stem cells in response to different matrix stiffnesses using Quantitative Imaging AFM (QI-AFM). In her second year of her PhD Chayla looks to understand the biomechanical and biomolecular response of stem cells to external stimuli using advanced temporal bioAFM techniques.
Emily is a third-year undergraduate student studying a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering (Honours) at Monash University. She joined The Gelmi Group in January 2024 for a 12-month internship received through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) where she will gain relevant skills and experience in both the lab and on an academic research level that can be further applied to her studies. She will be working under the guidance of Dr Amy Gelmi to explore stem cell responses to external stimulation through primary/secondary staining, imaging and data analysis.
Daniel is a 2022 Biomedical Engineering Graduate from RMIT. He began his industry PhD candidature in March of 2023 specialising in Biomaterials of Oral Implantology at RMIT, in collaboration with MAXONIQ – initially working under the guidance of Professor. Kate Fox, Dr. Nhiem Tran and, Mr. Stefan Di Medio. In April of 2024 he had joined The Gelmi Group following the additional supervisory guidance of Dr. Amy Gelmi. His research looks to investigate the integration of soft tissues with dental implants – with a primary focus on titanium-diamond biomaterial composites and exploring how electrical stimulation can further enhance the integration of these tissues.
Luke graduated with a BEng (Hons) in Biomedical Engineering from RMIT University in December 2023. In June 2024, he joined The Gelmi Group to begin his PhD candidature where he will work under the guidance of both Dr Amy Gelmi and Professor Kate Fox. His research will consist of the design, fabrication and characterisation of novel electrical stimulation devices to investigate the appropriate parameters for inducing osteogenic differentiation in human mesenchymal stem cells.
Veronica graduated from Monash University in 2022 with a BSc (Hons). As part of The World Mosquito Program lab group, her Honours looked to work towards a method to evaluate the likelihood of dengue evolving resistance to current biocontrol tools. Veronica joined The Gelmi Group in July 2024 to begin her PhD candidature where she will explore the use of stem cells for the design of biomaterials.
Mercyjayapriya earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Madras in 2017 and 2019. In 2020, she began her PhD at CSIR-CLRI as a DST-INSPIRE-funded Research Fellow and is now pursuing a dual PhD program under the mentorship of Dr. N. Ayyadurai, CSIR-CLRI and Dr. Amy Gelmi, RMIT University. She is also a RMIT-funded fellow through the AcSIR-RMIT Cotutelle Research Program. Her research focuses on developing genetic-code-expanded protein-based biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. With The Gelmi Group, she investigates the potential of these biomaterials to facilitate bone regeneration in stem cells.
Noah graduated from Deakin University in 2024 with a BSc majoring in Cell Biology, Human Biology and Genomics. His research interests include cellular senescence, AFM microscopy, tissue engineering, stem cell research, and human genomics. Noah joins the Gelmi Group as an Honours student in 2025 where he will look to ______.
Sebastian is a 2023 graduate from Federation University with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science. He joins the Gelmi Group in 2025 to complete his Honours project where he will work to help investigate stem cell responses to electrical stimulation.
