Dr. Sahar Tavakoli is an associate teaching professor and program director of the MS in Cell and Gene Therapy Program at Northeastern. She obtained her PhD in Molecular and Developmental Biology from National University of Singapore. Her postdoc work took place at the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology of Harvard University. Among her accomplishments, Sahar discovered two compounds (LPA and NFA) that promote muscle progenitor cells engraftment in vivo.

As an expert in regenerative and developmental biology and stem cell research, she works to develop cutting-edge solutions to some of today’s most complex and pressing biotechnology and healthcare challenges. Sahar is passionate about teaching and focuses on helping students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and rigorous scientific reasoning skills.