Lab Members

Meet the brilliant minds driving innovation in microphysiological systems and translational medicine at SIMS Lab

Dr. Heritier Shebindu Adam

PhD, MBA

Principal Investigator & Lab Director

Microfluidics & BiosensorsNeuroimmune InteractionsNeutrophil Dysfunction ResearchImmune System ModelingVirtual Reality & AI PlatformsBusiness Intelligence & ML

Biography

Dr. Heritier Shebindu Adam is a biomedical engineer specializing in microfluidics, biosensors, and immune system modeling. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas, where his dissertation focused on developing automated micro-total analysis systems to study neuroimmune interactions and neuroinflammation.

His doctoral work included the design of a programmable microfluidic capacitor and novel platforms to measure calcium dynamics in microglia, providing new tools to understand astrocyte–microglia communication under inflammatory conditions.

Dr. Adam is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Schmidtke Lab at UT Dallas/UT Southwestern, where he investigates neutrophil dysfunction in patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs). Using microfluidic migration assays, phagocytosis and oxidative burst profiling, and flow cytometry-based immune phenotyping, his work seeks to uncover biomarkers predictive of infection risk and immune suppression.

Building on this expertise, his fellowship proposal extends these methods to ECMO patients to identify immune signatures associated with severe and infection-related systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).

In addition to his research, Dr. Adam holds an MBA in Business Intelligence and Machine Learning and is the Founder and CEO of Bora Technology, a company dedicated to advancing STEM and biomedical training through virtual reality and AI-driven platforms.

He has also demonstrated strong leadership and mentorship, serving as President of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Association at UT Dallas, mentoring undergraduate researchers, and leading STEM summer camps for middle school students.

Key Achievements

Academic Excellence

PhD in Biomedical Engineering from University of Texas at Dallas with focus on automated micro-total analysis systems

Current Research

Postdoctoral Research Associate investigating neutrophil dysfunction in VAD patients using advanced microfluidic assays

Entrepreneurship

Founder and CEO of Bora Technology, advancing STEM education through VR and AI-driven platforms

Leadership

Former President of Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Association and active STEM mentor

Research Interests

  • Automated micro-total analysis systems for immune cell studies
  • Neuroimmune interactions and neuroinflammation modeling
  • Neutrophil dysfunction in mechanical circulatory support
  • Microfluidic migration assays and immune phenotyping
  • AI-driven platforms for biomedical education