Senta Kapnick Promoted to Associate Research Scientist
The Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices has promoted Senta Kapnick from Professional Track Faculty (PTK) assistant research scientist to associate research scientist, effective July 1, 2025. Kapnick joined the lab of Chris Jewell, Robert E. Fischell Institute Professor for Translational Engineering, in 2020, bringing expertise in cellular and molecular immunology. Since then, she has become a leader in the lab, designing and managing complex research projects while mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. “It’s an incredible honor and a pleasure to work alongside Dr. Jewell and be part of the greater professional track faculty community here at UMD, especially in the Fischell Institute,” Kapnick said. “It’s like one big, collaborative family, all working together toward a common goal to translate creative science.” Kapnick’s research at the Fischell Institute has been pivotal in uncovering how polymer particles delivering immunomodulatory cues directly to lymph nodes can reverse paralysis in preclinical mouse models of multiple sclerosis.These studies advance a therapeutic platform developed by the Jewell Lab that now forms the scientific foundation for the new venture, Nodal Therapeutics. “It’s impossible to understate the contributions Senta has made to the lab and the broader community,” Jewell said. “She is a brilliant scientist pushing the forefront of the antigen-specific tolerance field, highlighted by infectious enthusiasm that has raised the lab’s research to a new level. Senta is also an incredible mentor who brings creativity, tact and kindness to all of her pursuits. I could not be more proud to have such an outstanding colleague.” Before joining the University of Maryland, Kapnick completed her postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), studying immunometabolism in a translational setting. During her doctoral thesis work through the Johns Hopkins University and NIH Graduate Partnership Program, she examined cytoskeletal organization in the context of primary immunodeficiencies, advancing the understanding of how cells communicate. Earlier in her career, she worked at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) developing methods to evaluate the efficacy of experimental vaccines. Kapnick is currently funded by a $1 million Career Development Award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This award supports her independent research program, which involves manipulating an immune cell’s metabolism as a therapeutic strategy for treating inflammatory diseases.
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