Jason Chen, MPower Entrepreneurship Fellow, Graduates

Fischell Institute MPower Entrepreneurship Fellow Jason Chen graduated in May 2025 from the University of Maryland with a Master of Engineering degree, concentrating in robotics.

Chen worked with Fischell Institute Affiliate Fellow and bioengineering Assistant Professor Jenna Mueller in 2024 to develop a triple-needle injector for ablating cervical pre-cancer in low-resource settings. The low-cost, repairable device employs a small air tank or bike pump to deliver three bolus doses of a drug or chemical mixture, such as ethyl cellulose ethanol. The injector was originally developed by MPower Fellow alumnus David Garvey.

Chen also recently collaborated with Fischell Institute Director William Bentley and Fischell Institute Fellow and Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) Research Professor Greg Payne on a potentiostat biosensor. The device monitors redox-active compounds, such as environmental pollutants or biotech products. Chen helped to functionalize and characterize printed circuit board-based electrodes and gather critical data to advance the biosensor’s capabilities.

“Getting it to work at a high rate is the hardest part,” Chen said. “That’s where following protocols and careful documentation matters. I hope to make electrochemistry more applicable and accessible.”

Chen was mentored by Fischell Institute Assistant Director Martha Wang, Chief Engineer John Rzasa and Senior Engineer Kevin Aroom.

"Jason is a kind, dedicated, and collaborative engineer whose sharp technical skills, sense of humor, and genuine care for both his work and his teammates made him an invaluable and uplifting contributor throughout his MPower Entrepreneurship Fellowship," said Wang.

The fellowship also helped Chen strengthen his presentation skills, improve his documentation practices, and collaborate more effectively.

“The Fischell Foundry engineers have so much experience,” Chen said. “I also cannot understate the value of the connections I’ve made—it’s all thanks to being in the right place at the right time and the people who’ve supported me. I owe them a lot.”

Chen contributed to the Fischell Institute’s outreach efforts, working with Communications and Program Specialist Ambi Narula on events such as Take Your Child to Work Day and High School Shadow Day.

“Jason has been so key and helpful in all our events, conferences and beyond. I am so incredibly grateful for him. I knew I could always count on Jason to help,” Narula said.

As Chen looks ahead, he hopes to continue working at the intersection of robotics, medicine and environmental technology.

“This experience really opened my eyes to the power of collaboration and translational work,” he said. “I’m excited to keep developing engineering solutions that have a real-world impact.”

The Fischell Institute and MPower Entrepreneurship helps students transition medical device ideas into prototypes and commercial ventures while earning their Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degrees.

Published May 16, 2025