Catherine Alicia Best-Popescu

Research Assistant Professor
Research Assistant Professor

(217) 333-8367

cabest@illinois.edu

2050 Beckman Institute

Primary Research Area

Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Engineering

Education

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 2005-2007
B.S. Biology and Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 1994

Academic Positions

Medical Technician, Clinical Chemistry, and Toxicology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 2001-2002
Research Associate, Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 2002-2005
VISITING RESEARCH SCIENTIST in Cellular Biophysics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 2005-2007
Med UC Basic Sciences Adm. Director of Curricular Alignment and Active Learning Curricular Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011-2013
Med UIUC Basic Sciences Adm. Interim Director of Assessment, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011- 2013
RES ASST PROF Medical Cell & Structural Biol. Course Director Medical Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010-2011
RES ASST PROF Medical Cell & Structural Biol. Course Director Medical Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007-2014
Research Associate, Clinical Traumatic Brain Injury Trial Primary Investigator, Lovell Federal Health Care Center, Chicago, IL 2018
LAB COORD FOR SHIELD, Shield Saliva COVID-19 Diagnostic Laboratory Veterinary Diagnostic Lab., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2020
Research Affiliate Faculty Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2023-current
Research Affiliate Faculty Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2023-current
RES ASST PROF, CI MED Department of Biomedical & Translational Sciences Carle Illinois College of Medicine Champaign Illinois, 2024-current
RES ASST PROF, Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014-current

Research Interests

Neuroprotection and neuroimaging of cerebral blood flow in the context of brain Injury and neurodegenerative disease.

Research Statement

My research interests include interfacing bioengineering, neuroscience and medicine from the molecular to the behavioral scale, and the application of quantitative phase microscopy techniques to biomedical problems.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

We are looking for undergraduate students interested in integrating bioengineering, neuroscience and medicine.

Graduate Research Opportunities

Looking for energetic students interested in projects at the interface of bioengineering, neuroscience and medicine.

Post-Doctoral Research Opportunities

Looking for energetic post-docs interested in projects at the interface of bioengineering, neuroscience and medicine.

Primary Research Area

Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Engineering

Chapters in Books

“Optical Sensing of Red Blood Cell Dynamics” by YK Park, C A. Best-Popescu, and G Popescu, in "Mechanobiology of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions," Edited by Amy Wagoner Johnson (Springer, 2011)
“Erythrocyte Nanoscale Flickering: A Marker for Disease” by C. A. Best-Popescu, in “Nanobiophotonics”, Edited by G. Popescu (McGraw Hill, 2010).

Teaching Honors

Alpha Omega Alpha Robert Glaser Distinguished Teacher Nominee 2015 (2015)
UIC Urban Health program COM Team Member Servant Leadership Award, College of Medicine (COM), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) (2014)
Teacher ranked as excellent by the students, Medical Neuroscience, COM UIUC, 2012, 2013 and 2014* (* instructor rating was outstanding- top 10%) (2012, 2013, and 2014)
Raymond B. Allen Award - Golden Apple award winner, COM UIUC M2 (second-year medical school students) 2012, and M1 (first-year medical school students) 2014 (2012 )