Our Team

Igor Efimov, PhD, FNAI, FAASL, FAIMBE, FAHA, FHRS

Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Professor of Medicine (Division of Cardiology)

Professor Efimov is the Director of the Cardiovascular Engineering Laboratory, an NIH-funded research and engineering laboratory that focuses on the physiological mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and on developing novel therapies for heart diseases. He earned his BSc/MSc/PhD from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1992 and completed his postdoctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh (1992-1994). He served on the faculty of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (1994-2000) and Case Western Reserve University (2000-2004), Washington University in St. Louis (2004-2015), and George Washington University (2015-2022), where he served as the founding chairman of the BME Department. In 2022, Dr. Efimov joined the faculty at Northwestern University. 

He is a Member of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering, the Heart Rhythm Society, and the American Heart Association, among other professional societies. He has received numerous awards, including the 2025 Heart Rhythm Society Ralph Lazzara Lectureship Award, the 2022 International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences Naranjan Dhalla Award, the 2021 Heart Rhythm Society Distinguished Scientist Award, and the RASA George Gamow Prize. Dr. Efimov founded Cardialen to develop low-energy implantable electrotherapy for cardiac arrhythmias, and the company was acquired in 2022. Dr. Efimov also co-founded NuSera Biosystems to develop novel implantable and interventional devices. 

• Efimov Lab
• Email Prof. Efimov

Paloma Amaral

Research Associate

Paloma is an experienced animal scientist with over a decade of expertise in animal research compliance, laboratory operations, and staff training. She oversees the administrative and operational functions of the lab, including animal research protocols, regulatory compliance, lab safety, and personnel training, ensuring adherence to institutional policies and federal regulations. As the primary liaison during IACUC reviews and safety inspections, she plays a key role in maintaining the lab’s commitment to regulatory excellence.

In addition, Paloma actively contributes to research focused on cardiac physiology, bioelectronic implants, and animal models of cardiovascular disease, collaborating closely with veterinarians, regulatory teams, and environmental health and safety professionals to uphold the highest standards of research integrity and compliance.

Eric Rytkin

Research Associate

Eric Rytkin, MD, PhD, is a Research Associate at the Efimov Lab at Northwestern University and an interventional cardiologist focused on translating minimally invasive cardiac technologies from lab to clinic. His work, featured in Nature, includes a bioresorbable millimeter-scale “milli-pacemaker” designed for temporary, leadless, MRI-compatible cardiac pacing, as well as a TAVR valve with integrated pacing capabilities to address post-implant conduction disturbances and support faster, safer, outpatient-oriented care. The milli-pacemaker was recognized among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025, and Eric was named to Cardiovascular Business’s 40 Under 40 list. He is also Chief Medical Officer of NuSera Biosystems, where he helps advance these platforms toward clinical evaluation as investigational devices. Learn more in his interview with Physician's Weekly and a Le Figaro article.

Dr. Tatiana Efimova

Research Associate Professor

Dr. Efimova is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Her research focuses on stress signaling and adaptation mechanisms in heart diseases associated with cancer chemotherapy and aging, with the goal of developing new therapies for anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity and age-related cardiomyopathy.

She earned her M.Sc. from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and completed her doctoral and postdoctoral studies at Case Western Reserve University. Prior to joining Northwestern, she held faculty positions at CWRU, Washington University in St. Louis, and George Washington University. Dr. Efimova has led or collaborated on NIH R01-funded projects and has received grants from the Dermatology Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the American Skin Association, and other university- and industry-funded sources.

Pavan Bhat

Pavan Bhat joined the Efimov Lab as a JD/PhD student in Fall 2023. Prior to that, he was working on machine learning and molecular dynamics simulations of lipids. Now he is investigating the use of novel bioelectronic devices for cardiac mapping in large animal models, as well as various neuromodulation technologies to treat atrial fibrillation.

Binjie Li

Binjie Li has been a PhD student in the Efimov Lab since 2022. He previously studied cardiac maturation and genetic cardiomyopathy based on engineered heart tissues. He is now investigating mechanotransduction mediated by the LINC complex and its role in pathological hypertrophy.

Peter Saba

Peter Saba joined the Efimov Lab as a master's student in 2024. His work focuses on the development of novel bioelectronic devices for cardiac therapies, including vagus nerve stimulation and pacemaker devices. Peter collaborates with Dr. John Rogers' lab on the fabrication and design of these devices while also conducting preclinical animal studies for validation in the Efimov Lab.

Noor Saleem

Noor is a second-year master's student pursuing a thesis in biomedical engineering. She received her Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she worked as an undergraduate research assistant under Dr. Rohit Bhargava at the UIUC Cancer Center. Noor's research and clinical interests include cardiac electrophysiology and medical devices for both the cardiovascular system and the skin.

Charles Stark

Charlie Stark is a first-year graduate student in Northwestern's Medical Scientist Training Program, pursuing a combined Medical Doctorate and Doctor of Philosophy in biomedical engineering. Charlie received his Bachelor and Master of Science in biomedical engineering from Northwestern in 2021 before working for two years as a researcher in Dr. Joseph Woo's laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine. Charlie's research and clinical interests are in cardiovascular medical devices and cardiac electrophysiology.

Lichao (James) Tang

Lichao (James) is a joint PhD student in Dr. Igor Efimov and Dr. John Rogers' labs, majoring in Biomedical Engineering since 2022. His research centers on the development and validation of novel bioelectronic devices for cardiovascular applications, including cardiac sensors for continuous monitoring and millimeter-scale pacemakers designed for on-demand electrotherapy. Driven by a passion for bridging engineering and medicine, he is dedicated to exploring bioelectronic technologies that advance the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

Kai Thanasitsomboon

Katy Trampel

Katy Trampel is a Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University in the Efimov Lab. Her research focuses on stress signaling and inflammation in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and cardiac aging, with an emphasis on p38 MAPK isoforms as regulators of cardiac stress responses. She integrates electrophysiology, genomics, and advanced imaging in both animal models and human cardiac slices to define disease mechanisms and identify therapeutic strategies. Katy was a trainee in the NIH Physical Genomics T32 program (2023-2025).