Russell P. Main, PhD

Associate Professor, Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine

Associate Professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering

Russ received his B.A. in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley where he gained a broad background in anatomy, paleontology, evolutionary biology, and biomechanics while conducting research in the labs of Dr. Kevin Padian and Dr. Claire Farley. He completed his Ph.D. research in 2006 with Dr. Andrew Biewener at the Concord Field Station, Harvard University and completed his thesis on comparative skeletal mechanics, bone histomorphology, and growth among major tetrapod groups. He conducted his postdoctoral research with Dr. Marjolein van der Meulen at Cornell University, examining the role of age and cellular estrogen receptors in long bone growth and the skeleton’s response to mechanical load. He has been at Purdue University since 2011. Download CV here.

Xiaoyu began her Ph.D. in the Main lab in Fall 2016. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences at Capital Normal University in Beijing, China, and her Masters of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering at New York University. Before joining the Main lab, she conducted a study on mechanical-induced cytoskeletal architectural adaptation in vascular smooth muscle cells in the NYU Biomechanism and Bioengineering Lab. Currently, Xiaoyu is investigating the role of osteocyte-estrogen receptor beta in bone turnover and the skeletal response to mechanical stimuli. Her research interests focus on the impact of sex-hormones and mechanical loading in skeletal changes associated with age-related osteoporosis.

Timothy Arlowe

Lab Technician

Masters Student (Basic Medical Sciences)

Tim began his Masters in the Main lab in Fall 2020. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from Ball State University. As an undergraduate, Tim was part of a wildlife research lab and continued post-graduation as an intern and technician assisting with projects investigating the ecology of Northern-long eared bats and white-tailed deer in Bloomington, IN. Tim has been part of BMS since 2016 as a Laboratory Technician for the Anatomy teaching lab, managing teaching specimens and being a TA for Vet Nursing and DVM anatomy courses. His research focuses on the musculoskeletal adaptation within the tibia of green iguanas (Iguana iguana).

Worapat Sawatwong, MS

PhD Student, Department of Basic Medical Sciences

Worapat Sawatwong, M.Sc. PhD student (Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences)
Worapat obtained his Bachelor of Science from the Department of Biology, and his Master of Science from the Medical Sciences program, Chulalongkorn University at Thailand. He began his PhD in Dr. Main lab at Purdue University in Fall 2020. He is focusing on the comparing of bone adaptation in different types of mechanical loading model in mice.

Brennan Thomas Flannery

Research Assistant

BS Biomedical Engineering, Purdue ’21

PhD Student, Case Western

Milton J. Ortiz Rivera

DVM Student (Class of 2024)
Veterinary Summer Research Scholar 2021
Project: Comparative structure of osteocytes-canalicular networks among vertebrates and its role in bone adaptation