AIBEL PI
Timothy Chung, PhD, started at the University of Texas at San Antonio Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering as an Associate Professor in the Fall of 2025. Dr. Chung is building an exciting research program as the Principal Investigator and Founder of AIBEL. AIBEL’s research involves artificial intelligence applications for clinical translation, digital health, medical device design, and biomechanics.
Dr. Chung has published more than 30 papers in a mix of clinical and engineering journals, as well as several Nature journals, and has been featured in public-facing media on innovation. He has submitted over 30 invention disclosures, has 12 patents at various stages, and is a co-founder of a licensed start-up.
Postdoctoral Trainees
Julian Carvajal Rico
Postdoctoral Associate
Info
Julian holds a B.E. from Universidad EAFIT and a Ph.D. from UTSA in Mechanical Engineering. With expertise spanning medical-device instrumentation, consulting, and healthcare-focused machine learning, his research focuses on Graph Neural Networks for predicting abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture risk..
PhD Students
Karla Lopez Santoyo
PhD Student
Info
Karla Lopez Santoyo is a first-year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at UTSA and UT Health San Antonio. She earned her BS from UTSA in 2024 and is a Graduate Research Assistant in MAIE and AIBEL, focusing on medical device design and cardiovascular biomechanics using experimental and AI approaches, and enjoys running, reading, and pickleball.
Archer French
PhD Student
Info
Archer started his PhD in the Fall of ’26, co advised by Dr. Chung and Dr. Finol of the VBBL. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UTSA and an Applied Exercise Physiology degree from TAMU. He has experience in Physical Therapy, ocular tissue recovery and research experience in vascular modeling (biofluidic), workflow automation, robotics, and AI. His passion lies in advancing medicine through applied engineering.
Anna Mellin
PhD Student
Info
Anna Mellin is a first-year Mechanical Engineering PhD student and Graduate Research Assistant in AIBEL at UTSA. She received her B.S. from Northern Arizona University in 2025. Her background includes research with the Experimental Biofluids Lab at NAU, the Fluid Mechanics Lab at the Universidad de Jaén, an expired EMT license, and a forklift certification. Outside of school you can find her rock climbing or playing soccer.
Master’s Students
Christopher Chuang
MS Student
Info
Christopher Chuang is an M.S. student in Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering at University of Texas at San Antonio. His background includes biomedical engineering experience, with hands-on work supporting medical equipment and hospital operations, reflecting interests at the intersection of engineering, healthcare, and applied problem-solving.
Jake Plummer
MS Student
Info
Jake Plummer is a M.S. student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He earned his B.S. from Schreiner University in 2025 and is now a Graduate Research Assistant in AIBEL, focusing on 3D modeling, design, and problem-solving. Outside of school, you will most likely find him on the pickleball court or on a hike.
Undergraduate Students
Vincente Torres
Undergraduate Student
Info
Vincente Torres is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at UTSA. With hands-on experience supporting projects involving 3D scanning, precision silicone molding, and the mechanical characterization of cardiovascular tissue models, his work focuses on advancing biomedical applications through experimental mechanical engineering.