Luai R. Khoury

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Neubauer Assistant Professor

Luai R. Khoury

Education

2011 - 2016 Ph.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Advisors: Prof. Joseph Kost and Dr. Giora Enden.

2009 - 2011 MS.c. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

2006 - 2010 BS.c. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

 

Prizes

2021 Ma’of Fellowship: The fellowship covers the salary for the first three years of my position as a Sr. Lecturer at Technion -  Israel Institute of Technology.

Positions

2021 - Present Neubauer Assistant Professor, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Materials Science and Engineering Department, Israel.

2016 - 2020 Postdoctoral Associate, The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, USA.

Biography

Luai R. Khoury received his B.Sc. (2010) and M.Sc. (Fast Track) (2011), and Ph.D. (2016) in Biomedical Engineering from Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, ISRAEL. His Ph.D. project focused on developing gold nanoparticles to harvest, concentrate and detect low molecular weight (LMW) biomarkers for disease diagnosis under the supervision of Prof. Joseph Kost and Dr. Giora Enden. From 2016 to 2020, Luai Khoury was a postdoctoral research scientist in Prof. Ionel Popa's Lab at the Physics Department, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, USA, where he investigated protein-based hydrogels' mechanical and microstructure properties.

Since March 2021, Khoury has been an Assistant Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The same year, Khoury received the MAOF Fellowship from the Israel Council for Higher Education.

Khoury and his team intend to pioneer the field of protein-based materials. At Protein Materials and Mechanics Lab (PMML), we know that proteins are remarkable machines in our body and are responsible for many essential processes. Furthermore, they have unique natural properties that no other macromolecules have. These nanomachines are naturally biocompatible, chemically, and biologically diverse and can respond to different triggers. Khoury and his students seek to utilize all these properties to expand the toolbox in designing new innovative, responsive protein-based materials that can be translated into various medical applications.

Research Interest

I am enthusiastic about exploring, analyzing, and advancing state-of-the-art smart bioresponsive materials derived from globular proteins.

In my research, I focus on harnessing the inherent properties of proteins, including their functions, interactions with the environment, and the way they fold and unfold. Through these intentional efforts, I aim to drive a significant advancement in biomaterials.

Furthermore, my studies are centered on understanding the complex interactions between polymers and proteins. I aim to uncover how these two elements influence materials' detailed mechanical and microstructural aspects. This work contributes to the development of innovative hybrid biomaterials. Drawing on insights from these comprehensive investigations, I aim to engineer biomaterials that seamlessly combine the unique characteristics of polymers and proteins. These materials have potential applications across various domains, such as food production, drug delivery, and addressing environmental challenges.