Direselgn (Kira) Semanie

Bio

co-chair with Dr. Xiaomeng Fang and Dr. Thomas Schroeder

Kira joined the Gluck Tissue Engineering Lab as a Ph.D. student in Fiber and Polymer Science in Fall 2025. He is currently conducting research under the supervision of Prof. Jessica Gluck, Prof. Thomas B.H. Schroeder, and Prof. Xiaomeng Fang. His research focuses on corneal tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, 3D printing, osteogenic differentiation, and biomedical textiles. Prior to joining the lab, Kira earned his B.S. in Textile Engineering from Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia, in 2021 and his M.S. in Textile Engineering from Donghua University, China, in 2024. His master’s research focused on the development and characterization of smart textile materials based on shape memory polyurethane and microcrystalline cellulose.

Outside the lab, Kira is interested in the Chinese language and Korean sports and enjoys watching football (soccer) matches.