Congratulations to one of our favorite lab duos for successfully defending their theses. On April 17, 2026, Howard Nicholson III and Neeraj Sakhrani defended their theses in a packed double defense day.
Howard’s thesis was titled “Modeling Hemarthrosis-Induced Injury in the ACL and Synovial Joint Tissues Through Engineered and Preclinical Models.”
Neeraj’s thesis was titled “Modeling the Diabetic Synovial Joint to Investigate Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis and Advance Targeted Therapeutic Strategies.”
We are so so so proud of these two—starting and finishing the PhD together! Your mentorship, friendship, and shared wisdom have made a lasting impact on the lab and the department. We are so grateful for everything you have contributed and the memories you've made along the way. Wishing you both all the best in your next chapters!
Congratulations, Dr. Sakhrani and Dr. Nicholson III!
