ResearchEngineeringFabrication

I give
form to my curiosity.

I’m Ali Saber, an immunology researcher and, outside the lab, a hands-on engineer working across embedded electronics, mechanical design, and digital fabrication.

Explore my work ↓See my research background ↓↓

WORKBENCH / 01Prototype active

LAYOUT6 × 10

MICROCONTROLLERESP32

INTERFACEWEB UI

05physical builds

672engine RPM

15 / 15units sold

Co-firstauthor, EJI

Selected work / 2022—2026

Built around a
reason.

Each project starts with a question. Can I make this work better, feel better, or do something it couldn’t before?

P.01

60 active positions · local web control

Independent build · Lab systems

96-Well Plate Tracker

An ESP32-powered LED tracker designed around the wells I actually use.

01 / Problem

During repetitive plating steps, it was difficult to keep track of which well I had just filled and where each condition was plated.

02 / Making constraint

Individually soldering 96 LEDs was time-consuming. Since the perimeter wells are often filled with water or PBS during long culture periods, I preserved the 6×10 inner working layout instead.

03 / Build

A 3D-printed housing aligns 60 LEDs with the plate. An ESP32, custom firmware, and a local web interface coordinate the light pattern from a phone.

Black 3D-printed 96-well plate tracker with a transparent laboratory plate seated above its illuminated LED grid — Plate seatedTransparent plate · LEDs aligned beneath wells

Black 3D-printed plate tracker without the laboratory plate, exposing the six-by-ten LED array — **6 × 10 active LED positions**

Network setupFull 15-second IP address display

Project walkthroughDesign, build, and operation explained

Open in Google Drive ↗

P.02 / Work In Progress

The Barn puzzle · three-part sequenceNFC match → audio response

Interactive design · Embedded systems

The Barn Puzzle

A wooden puzzle that recognizes modular animal pieces and responds with sound.

Three NFC-tagged animal sections assemble on the barn door and are read independently. Correct matches trigger body-specific animal facts in Kurdish through the hidden speaker; mismatches get a playful error sound. The interaction turns a children's puzzle into a tool for helping preserve a minority language through play.

Distributed sensing. Each animal is divided into three parts with a unique NFC tag. Beneath the door, three PN532 readers are each paired with a numbered ESP32-C3 (01, 02, and 03). They report scanned tag IDs to the main ESP32, allowing the system to determine placement order and whether all three parts belong to the same animal.

Sequential readers. Adjacent PN532 antennas can interfere with and mask one another, so only one reader is active at a time. Within each one-second cycle, every reader receives approximately 0.33 seconds to scan its zone.

Timed locking. At this spacing, tags can also compete for the same reading zone. A correct piece-to-reader match is held for a timed window, and each new correct sequential placement refreshes that window. This gives the child time to think and assemble while preventing overlapping reads from scrambling the result.

1× ESP323× ESP32-C33× PN532

P.03 / ANIMATED ASSEMBLY

Translational Motion → Rotational MotionCAD-informed illustration

Machine design · Persistence of Vision

Stirling Engine + POV

An old-school, film-projector-inspired engine extended into a persistence-of-vision system.

Designed in SolidWorks and machined in metal, then extended with a lightweight acrylic second flywheel, an orange polyurethane belt, an ESP32, Adafruit LEDs, and a Hall-effect sensor that synchronizes light with rotation. The finished engine received the course's Audience Choice Award for its colorful design in action.

A virtual surface. As the POV wheel rotates, two LED rods sweep a cylindrical profile. The firmware divides each revolution into angular columns—for example, 360 slices—so every physical position corresponds to one vertical image slice.

Position tracking. A Hall-effect sensor and an embedded magnet mark every revolution. From the measured period and RPM, the controller estimates the rods' angle and schedules the appropriate slice at the right moment.

High-speed pixels. Each rod carries 30 individually addressable LEDs. The implementation was developed around a 1.2 kHz refresh target and approximately 34 µs update windows. Hall-synchronized updates paint successive slices quickly enough for the eye to perceive a continuous image around the cylindrical surface.

672 RPMrecorded during test run

Engine runningMechanical run · POV disabled

POV demonstrationFull-length pattern · Hall-synchronized

Camera note: The camera's shutter and frame timing are not synchronized with the engine RPM or POV refresh cycle, so the recorded pattern appears less continuous than it does to the eye.

P.04 / LIGHT + STORAGE STUDY

Rhino-informed architectural modelDesk Light + Storage Box

Product design · Small-batch fabrication

Van Pelt Library Light Box

An architectural keepsake that doubles as a warm desk light.

MDF, eucalyptus, and clear acrylic recreate Penn’s Van Pelt Library. LEDs in the base turn its transparent windows into a glowing façade, while a concealed side drawer adds storage inside the building form.

15 unitsmade and sold out

Finished objectLight on · drawer closed

Van Pelt Library box viewed from the front-right with its right-side storage drawer pulled open — Hidden utilityRight-side drawer extended

Van Pelt Library across College Green, with its long brick-and-concrete façade framed by leafless trees — Architectural referenceBy ajay_suresh — Van Pelt Library - UPenn, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

P.05 / AUTOMATED POWER

DIY build~$10

Wireless command → internal relay → powered outletSTEP-informed illustration

Smart Outlets · Automation

OTA Extension Cord

The very first CAD project. A customizable, Siri-controlled extension cord built for about half the retail cost.

An ESP32 and relay switches connect the cord to Apple HomeKit, integrating voice control and room for customization to a roughly $10 build. A three-part, 3D-printed enclosure mounts the controller, relay, and wiring directly alongside the cord.

White extension cord installed with a dark 3D-printed ESP32 and relay housing, cord clamp, and parallel ribbon wiring — Installed prototypeController housing fitted inline

Housing study / STEP assembly

Electronics protected.
Cord still usable.

The housing resolves three jobs in one printed assembly: contain the ESP32 and relay, guide the ribbon wiring through a dedicated exit, and clamp the electronics securely beside the extension cord.

01: Recessed upper lid
02: ESP32 + relay chamber
03: Cord clamp + wire exit

Research practice

The laboratory shapes
how I design.

I bring the same habits to experiments and prototypes: isolate the variable, observe carefully, troubleshoot systematically, and document what changes.

Current role

Research Specialist

July 2026 — Present

Recombinant protein production and purification across insect and mammalian expression systems.
Ex vivo spleenocyte organoid culture development for immune-cell studies.
Peptide-MHC class II tetramers and measles-specific CD4+ T-cell responses.

Undergraduate research

Undergraduate Researcher

June 2023 — May 2026

Investigated how cytomegalovirus infection and rheumatoid arthritis alter the phenotype and function of senescent CD4+ T cells.
Conducted experiments and high-dimensional phenotypic analyses that contributed to a co-first-author paper in the European Journal of Immunology.
Interpreted data and troubleshot a recombinant protein expression and purification workflow.

Selected publicationEJI
2025

Divergent effects of cytomegalovirus and rheumatoid arthritis on senescent CD4⁺ T cells.

Co-first author · European Journal of Immunology · 55:e70093

Read the paper ↗

Education

Class of 2026

University of Pennsylvania

B.A. in Biochemistry & Chemistry

Vagelos Molecular Life Sciences Scholar
Penn World Scholar

Distinction
BiochemistryDistinction
ChemistryPenn Global Citizenship
AwardPenn World Scholar
of the Year

Published in the journal

Vol. 389 · Issue 6755 · 2025

July 3, 2025 · NextGen Voices contribution

Supporting scientists who study and work abroad.

Contributing author · Science (AAAS) · 389(6755):24–26

Selected contributor to a collective letter on the challenges scientists face while studying or working abroad. My response examined barriers that can discourage Iraqi diaspora researchers from returning and proposed university diaspora offices that connect expatriate scientists with local collaborators through co-designed projects and virtual seminars.

View on Science.org

Professional credential

Issued December 9, 2025

SOLIDWORKS CAD Design Associate (CSWA)

Dassault Systèmes · Academic exam at the University of Pennsylvania

This credential formalizes the CAD foundation behind my mechanical and product work, from the Stirling engine assembly to custom electronics housings.

Credential: C-JQSZ8VUCB6
Assessment: SOLIDWORKS mechanical design

View certificate PDF ↗Verify credential ↗

Community & service

Building spaces where
people can participate.

Across public events, student communities, and international sporting events, I turn planning into welcoming, reliable experiences.

FIFA World Cup 2026 volunteer certificate awarded to Ali Saber for service from June 11 to July 19, 2026. — Volunteer certificate · FIFA World Cup 2026

01 / 2026

June 11 — July 19, 2026

FIFA World Cup 2026

Guest Operations

Supported VIP and VVIP hospitality lounges, directed guests, and coordinated movement with event staff in a fast-paced international environment.

View certificate ↗

02 / 2025

February 2025 — Present

TEDxKirkuk & TEDxTikrit

Co-organizer

Helped establish two local organizing teams, contributing to licensing, sponsor outreach, branding, and community engagement. Co-organized the first TEDxKirkuk event in 2025.

TEDNext 2024 · Atlanta · TEDx-qualifying conference attendee

View official TEDxKirkuk event ↗

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 volunteer certificate awarded to Ali Saber. — Volunteer certificate · FIFA Club World Cup 2025

03 / 2025

May — July 2025

FIFA Club World Cup 2025

Fan Operations

Directed fans to seating, activities, and stadium services; assisted guests with accessibility needs; and supported safe, orderly movement throughout the venue.

View certificate ↗

Earlier contributions

Service, civic engagement, and citizen science documented by the attached records.

VocaliD certificate recognizing Ali's three hours of Human Voicebank speech recordings on April 22, 2021.

April 2021

VocaliD Human Voicebank

Contributed three hours of speech recordings to support more personalized synthetic voices.

View record ↗

June — August 2020

Leaders of Tomorrow

Completed a digital exchange focused on leadership, civic engagement, cultural exchange, and conflict resolution.

View certificate ↗

Asteroids at home certificate recognizing Ali Othman Saber's distributed computing contribution since May 2016.

2016 — 2020

Citizen-science computing

Contributed spare computing power to SETI@home and Asteroids@home distributed research projects.

Asteroids record ↗SETI record ↗

Community leadership

Longer-term roles that complement formal volunteer service.

Kurdish Students Worldwide

Founder & President · Built an interuniversity network for community, visibility, and mentorship.

2025—Now

Penn World Scholars

Cohort Leader · Coordinated peer support and community for a selective international student cohort.

2022—2026

Penn Arab Students Society

Vice President · Oversaw social planning and partnerships for a 150+ member campus community.

2024—2025

Beyond the bench

Curiosity needs
a community.

My work often starts with a small observation: a repetitive lab task, a classroom brief with room to experiment, or a product that could be more personal and affordable.

Outside the lab, I bring the same systems mindset to public events, student networks, and peer mentorship—building structures that help people contribute and belong.

Languages

Kurdish · English · Arabic · Azerbaijani · Turkish · Persian

Next experiment

Curious problems make
the best projects.

Whether I’m improving a laboratory workflow or turning a mechanical build into an interactive experience, I enjoy the point where research, engineering, and physical design meet.

Start a conversation ↗

I give form to my curiosity.

Built around areason.

96-Well Plate Tracker

The Barn Puzzle

Stirling Engine + POV

Van Pelt Library Light Box

OTA Extension Cord

Electronics protected.Cord still usable.

The laboratory shapeshow I design.

Laura F. Su Lab

Research Specialist

Undergraduate Researcher

Divergent effects of cytomegalovirus and rheumatoid arthritis on senescent CD4⁺ T cells.

University of Pennsylvania

Supporting scientists who study and work abroad.

SOLIDWORKS CAD Design Associate (CSWA)

Building spaces wherepeople can participate.

FIFA World Cup 2026

TEDxKirkuk & TEDxTikrit

FIFA Club World Cup 2025

VocaliD Human Voicebank

Leaders of Tomorrow

Citizen-science computing

Kurdish Students Worldwide

Penn World Scholars

Penn Arab Students Society

Curiosity needsa community.

Curious problems makethe best projects.

I give
form to my curiosity.

Built around a
reason.

Electronics protected.
Cord still usable.

The laboratory shapes
how I design.

Building spaces where
people can participate.

Curiosity needs
a community.

Curious problems make
the best projects.