Education & Training

We believe that meaningful education grows through Leadership, Experience, Adaptation, Resilience, and Networking (LEARN). As a bioengineering laboratory embedded within a cancer center, we embrace these principles through our Inspire, Integrate, and Involve (I³) mission, creating opportunities for students across educational levels and backgrounds to discover STEM, connect engineering with biomedical research, and participate directly in interdisciplinary cancer research.

Inspire Early STEM Education

We aim to spark curiosity about science and engineering early. Through interactive outreach at the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) in Tampa, we aim to introduce K–12 students to the role of engineers in biomedical research through hands-on demonstrations and research-grade microscopy. Building on these experiences, we hope to develop recurring outreach initiatives such as a Bioengineering at MOSI (BAM) Summer Program, bringing students closer to the excitement of scientific discovery.

Integrate Engineering Education with Biomedical Research

We connect classroom engineering with real-world biomedical challenges through our academic partnership with the USF Department of Medical Engineering. Through Biomedical Engineering Design I & II (BME 4882 and BME 4883C), Dr. Nguyen mentors senior capstone teams on projects inspired by challenges in cancer research. These experiences allow students to apply engineering principles while learning how interdisciplinary collaboration can translate ideas into technologies with potential biomedical impact.

Involve Students in Interdisciplinary Cancer Research

We believe that one of the best ways to learn science is to participate in its discovery. In collaboration with Moffitt’s Research Education and Training programs, our laboratory provides hands-on research experiences for students from high school through graduate education. Trainees join an interdisciplinary environment where they learn from scientists, engineers, clinicians, and one another while contributing to ongoing cancer research.

Our laboratory has participated in programs including MARCH (high school), SPARK and SPUR (undergraduate), and GLOW (graduate). Together, these opportunities reflect a simple goal: inspire students early, integrate their education with meaningful biomedical problems, and involve them directly in the process of scientific discovery. We welcome curious, motivated students who are eager to learn and contribute.

Our Broader Impact

Our mission is to advance cancer research through fundamental discovery, innovative bioengineering, interdisciplinary collaboration, and education.

Fundamental Discovery: Uncover the biophysical principles governing cancer and immune-cell behavior to advance our understanding of cancer and human disease.

Innovative Bioengineering: Develop human-relevant experimental models and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to better understand cancer biology and therapeutic response.

Cancer & Immune Engineering: Investigate how the tumor microenvironment shapes cancer-cell survival and immune-cell function to identify new opportunities for improving cancer treatment.

Education & Workforce Development: Inspire, Integrate, and Involve (I³) students from all backgrounds through STEM outreach, interdisciplinary research, mentorship, and engineering education.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Bring together engineers, scientists, clinicians, and academic partners to bridge fundamental discovery and patient care.

Join Our Team

Postdoctoral Fellow Position: Our lab is seeking a motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to lead an exciting project focused on patient-derived tumor models.

Apply here

Research Associate Positions: Opportunities Coming Soon

Graduate Students: Moffitt–USF PhD Programs | Research Training at Moffitt • Degrees Awarded by USF.

Application Deadline: December 1

PhD programs

Graduate Students: USF Medical Engineering PhD program

Application deadlines. Please feel free to reach out to Dr. Nguyen or any of our lab members to learn more.

Post-Baccalaureate Students: Research Volunteer Opportunities | Applications Reviewed on a Rolling Basis

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply below or contact Dr. Nguyen directly.

GLOW

Undegraduate Students: Funded Summer Program.

Timeline for the 2027 cycle

Application opens: November 9, 2026

Application deadline: January 6, 2027

Applicants are notified of their program decision in March 2027.

SPARK

Undergraduate Students: Research Volunteer Opportunities. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply below or contact Dr. Nguyen directly.

SPUR

High School Students: MARCH Program. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply below or contact ret@Moffitt.org or Dr. Nguyen directly.

MARCH

The People Behind the Mission

Most importantly, we are grateful to patients and their families, whose trust makes much of our research possible. They remind us that behind every experiment, model, and dataset is a much larger purpose.

Cancer is too complex for any one discipline to solve alone. We are grateful to be part of a community where engineering, science, and medicine come together around one shared mission: to understand cancer better, find better ways to fight it, and improve the lives of patients and their families.

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