Arash Kheradvar Receives Humboldt Research Fellowship

Jan. 19, 2017 - UC Irvine’s Arash Kheradvar, associate professor of biomedical engineering, has received a Humboldt Fellowship for Experienced Researchers from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Established by the Federal Republic of Germany, the Humboldt Foundation fosters international academic cooperation by enabling scientists and scholars from around the world to spend time in Germany working on a research project with a collaborator. Kheradvar will spend three summers at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, where he will conduct congenital heart disease modeling in children.

An American Heart Association fellow, Kheradvar’s research focuses on cardiovascular engineering with an emphasis on novel cardiac imaging technologies (e.g., cardiac MRI and echocardiography), cardiovascular system modeling and heart valve engineering. The University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein is a major referral site for pediatric cardiology patients in Germany, enabling Kheradvar to study the effectiveness of the most common surgical procedure for pediatric patients with single-ventricle heart abnormalities.

“I’m honored to be selected for this highly prestigious fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation,” said Kheradvar. “I have devoted my career to life sciences, and I am thrilled that this fellowship will take our research a major step closer to improving patient care in children with congenital heart defects. “

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation maintains a network of Humboldtians from all disciplines in more than 140 countries worldwide – including 54 Nobel Prize winners.

- Lori Brandt