Post Doctoral Associate

Katherine A. Miranda-Muñoz, Ph.D., is a Biomedical Engineer and Research & Product Development Professional with expertise in polymeric biomaterials, drug delivery systems, and microneedle technology for both veterinary and human health applications. Her work integrates engineering design, materials science, and pharmacological evaluation to develop translational biomedical platforms that improve therapeutic outcomes and animal welfare. She earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, where she led a multi-year project on the design, fabrication, and in vivo evaluation of biodegradable microneedle patches for the controlled transdermal delivery of NSAIDs. Her research has been published in ACS Nano, PLOS ONE, and Materials Science and Engineering: C, with additional manuscripts in preparation. She has presented her findings at over ten national conferences, including BMES, AIChE, SACNAS, and SFB, and has been recognized with more than 15 awards and fellowships, including support from NSF I-Corps, Science Venture Studio, and the University of Arkansas College of Engineering. In addition to her research, Dr. Miranda-Muñoz has contributed to student mentorship, outreach, and entrepreneurship, earning a Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and completing fellowships in commercialization and market validation. She has collaborated with multidisciplinary teams across biomedical, chemical, mechanical, and animal sciences, and has technical proficiency in SEM, FTIR, AFM, confocal microscopy, rheology, electrospinning, and pharmacokinetic modeling, as well as programming and design tools including Python, MATLAB, and SolidWorks. Currently, Dr. Miranda-Muñoz continues her research as a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Miami, developing next-generation microneedle-tattoo biosensing systems for animal identification and diagnostics. She remains committed to advancing biomedical innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical research, and translational impact.