Ethan Foster’s path to biomedical data science began with a passion for engineering and a fascination with imaging technology. While pursuing his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University, he discovered that the parts of research he found most rewarding were increasingly computational. Through his work in the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Lab under Dr. Craig Goergen, he became drawn to the machine learning and data science methods used to transform medical images into clinically meaningful information.
Foster took on a leading analytical role in the lab's aortic aneurysm study, building 3D models of vessel and thrombus structure across the full animal cohort and creating workflows to quantify volumetric changes over time. This work contributed to a co-authored study linking thrombus accumulation to aneurysm progression, published in Annals of Biomedical Engineering. Most recently, he contributed to Net4DMD, a deep learning tool designed to automate cardiac MRI segmentation and derive key measures of structure/function in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Beyond the lab, Foster spent two summers as a data science intern at Battelle, a nonprofit applied research institute. There, he developed predictive models, machine learning frameworks, and artificial intelligence tools to address challenges in biosecurity and laboratory operations.
Through the Applied Biomedical Data Sciences program, he hopes to build upon his engineering foundation while further developing his skills in data science and computational research. For Foster, St. Jude offers a unique environment where the science is inseparable from its mission, bringing together cutting-edge research with a community dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children and families.
Hometown: Saint John, Indiana
Education:
2026 BS, Biomedical Engineering (Minors in Computer Science and Bioinformatics), Purdue University
Awards/Honors/Scholarships:
2024 Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship (DUIRI), Purdue University
Publications:
Johns CH, Schepers LE, Foist AMF, Foster EP, Bedi A, Narra N, Albrecht CK, Cox AD, Goergen CJ. Murine Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Intraluminal Thrombus Composition and Structure. Annals of Biomedical Engineering. Accepted for publication in Special Issue: Biofluid Mechanics and Mechanobiology (in press). Preprint available at bioRxiv: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.28.685150