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 is a mechanical engineer with experience in instrumentation, medical-device development, and healthcare-focused machine learning. After earning his B.E. from Universidad EAFIT in 2018, he worked at DAQ Solutions and later founded a consultancy supporting projects such as caloric-intake monitoring and respiratory-care devices. He completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at UTSA, where his research focused on chronic-condition prediction and Graph Neural Networks for assessing abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture risk.
Graduate 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.
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.