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Main Content
2026 UPSTART research projects
| Number | Research project | Mentor(s) | Expected student availability (hours/week) |
| 1 | Microparticles for drug delivery Keywords: chemical synthesis, antibiotics, drug release | Amol Janorkar | 8 Flexible Monday through Friday |
| 2 | 3-D printing for tissue engineering applications Keywords: 3D printing, characterization, cell culture | Amol Janorkar | 8 Flexible Monday through Friday |
| 3 | Biologically-derived anodization electrolytes for the formation of functional titanium oxide surfaces Keywords: titanium anodization, implant surface modification, biologically-derived materials | Michael Roach Haden Johnson | 8 Flexible 2 to 3 days per week |
| 4 | Debonding ceramic structures Keywords: debonding, lithium disilicate, and zirconia ceramics | Susana Salazar Marocho | 8 Flexible Monday through Friday |
| 5 | Novel Biomaterials for Multi-drug Delivery in Oral Cancer Keywords: oral cancer, drug delivery, biomaterials | Yuanyuan Duan | 8 Flexible 2 to 3 days per week |
| 6 | Influence of Maxillary Midline Diastema and Facial Profile on Esthetic Perception in African-American cohort Keywords: diastema, facial profile, facial esthetics | Marcos Lenza Barbara Olivos Kimberly Wade Mauricio Lenza | 8 Flexible Monday through Friday |
| 7 | Creating a Hydroxyapatite Coating on Sulfonated PAEK Polymers for Implants Keywords: hydroxyapatite, sulfonation, PAEK polymers | Scott Williamson | 8 Flexible Monday through Friday |
| 8 | Palatal tori among Mississippians: Retrospective study Keywords: palatal tori, retrospective | Bulem Tutunculer Joanna Seo | 8 Flexible Monday through Friday |
| 9 | Dynamic Cultures of Mammalian Cells and Bacteria Keywords: bacterial culture, cell culture, flow bioreactor, microparticles, coatings | Amol Janorkar | 8/32 (dental students / UG students) Flexible Monday through Friday |
| 10 | Cell-Biomaterial Interactions Using Atomic Force Microscopy Keywords: bacterial culture, elastin-like polypetides, surface chemistry, cell culture, atomic force microscopy | Amol Janorkar | 8/32 (dental students / UG students) Flexible Monday through Friday |