EDUCATION Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Subfield: Polymer Engineering (Sep. 2015-Aug. 2021) Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran Dissertation Title: “Selective transfection of smart polymeric nanoparticles into reactive astrocytes in animal model of spinal cord injury” Mentors: Prof. Masoud Frounchi, Dr. Shohreh Mashayekhan, and Dr. Sahar Kiani
M.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Subfield: Polymer Engineering (2012-2014) Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran Thesis Title: “Preparation of porous PVA nanocomposite hydrogels via gamma irradiation” Mentors: Prof. Masoud Frounchi, and Dr. Susan Dadbin
B.Sc., Chemical Engineering (2008-2012) Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran Thesis Title: “Investigating the effect of changing the synthesis parameters on the type of produced zeolite” Mentors: Prof. Ali Allahverdi, and Prof. Toraj Mohammadi
RESEARCH INTERESTS · Microencapsulation of biological and chemical compounds · Design, synthesis and characterization of novel drug delivery systems · Targeted drug/gene delivery to address unmet medical needs
JOB EXPERIENCES Assistant Professor (Aug. 2025-present) Department of Novel Drug Delivery Systems, Faculty of Polymer Sciences, Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute (IPPI), Tehran, Iran
Visiting Lecturer (2023) Department of Physics and Energy Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran · Teaching “Fluid Mechanics”
R&D Project Manager (2021-2022) R&D Department, Pharan Daru Co., Tehran, Iran · Supervising the projects related to PLGA synthesis for a sustained drug release in cancer therapy
Senior R&D Specialist (2020-2021) R&D Department, Golbarg-e-Khatereh Co., Tehran, Iran · Supervising the projects related to aromatic chemical compounds
Graduate Research Trainee (Sep. 2018-May 2019) Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada · Developing ROS-responsive chitosan-based nanoparticles for drug delivery to neurons and glioblastoma cells Mentors: Prof. Ashok Kakkar, and Prof. Dusica Maysinger
Head of No. 5 Research Laboratory (2015-2019) Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
PUBLICATIONS
1. Sabourian, P.; Frounchi, M.; Kiani, S.; Mashayekhan, Sh.; Zarei Kheirabadi, M.; Heydari, Y.; Ashraf, S.S. Targeting reactive astrocytes by pH-responsive ligand-bonded polymeric nanoparticles in spinal cord injury. Drug Delivery and Translational Research 2023, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-023-01300-3 2. Sabourian, P.; Yazdani, Gh.; Ashraf, S.S.; Frounchi, M.; Mashayekhan, Sh.; Kiani, S.; Kakkar, A. Effect of physico-chemical properties of nanoparticles on their intracellular uptake. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2020, 21 (21), 8019. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21218019 3. Sabourian, P.; Tavakolian, M.; Yazdani, H.; Frounchi, M.; GM Van de Ven, T.; Maysinger, D.; Kakkar, A. Stimuli-responsive chitosan as an advantageous platform for efficient delivery of bioactive agents. Journal of Controlled Release 2020, 317, 216-231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.11.029 4. Sabourian, P.; Ji, J.; Lotocki, V.; Moquin, A.; Hanna, R.; Frounchi, M.; Maysinger, D.; Kakkar, A. Facile design of autogenous stimuli-responsive chitosan/hyaluronic acid nanoparticles for efficient small molecules to protein delivery. Journal of Materials Chemistry B 2020, 8, 7275-7287. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TB00772B 5. Sabourian, P.; Frounchi, M.; Dadbin, S. Polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinyl pyrrolidone biomedical foams crosslinked by gamma irradiation. Journal of Cellular Plastics 2017, 53 (4), 359-372. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021955X16652106
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
2020 Sabourian, P.; Ashraf, S.S.; Frounchi, M.; Mashayekhan, Sh., Kiani, S. Preparation of chitosan/quantum dots nanoparticles for biomedical applications, 8th International Conference on Nano-Structures (Poster) 2020 Sabourian, P.; Zarei Kheirabadi, M.; Frounchi, M.; Mashayekhan, Sh., Kiani, S. Fabrication of chitosan-based nanoparticles for bioactive agent release in nerve tissue repair, 5th Conference of Sharif Graduates (Oral) 2019 Sabourian, P.; Zarei Kheirabadi, M.; Frounchi, M.; Mashayekhan, Sh., Kiani, S. Preparation of chitosan-based nanoparticles for gene delivery applications in nerve tissue, 4th International and 6th National Congress of Wound and Tissue Repair (Oral) 2018 Hajian Foroushani, Z.; Sabourian, P.; Mashayekhan, Sh.; Saadatmand, M. Application of novel microfluidic-based t |