Graduate Students

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology/ Biogen
Advisor: Ellen Cahir-McFarland, Ph.D., Director-Neuroimmunology/ Biogen
Research Summary: Trip is interested in identifying a specific inhibitor that will inhibit the production of replication-competent JC virus by targeting the binding of VP2/VP3 to the VP1 pentamer. He is interested in cell biology, virology, drug discovery, and imaging.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology/ Biogen
Advisor:  David Farb, Ph.D. Program Director and Professor of Pharmacology
Research Summary: Chan’s research interests are in neuropharmacology and neurobiology. She would like to investigate the molecular and cellular processes that underpin neurological disorders with the goal of characterizing novel therapeutic targets or strategies that can impact disease pathophysiology.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Camron Bfryant, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Psychiatry
Research Summary: Jacob is interested in developing a mechanistic understanding of addiction and using that understanding to create interventions that abate drug-seeking behaviors.

Program: Ph.D. Neuroscience/Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Thor Stein, MD, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology
Research Summary: Kerry is interested in neurobiology / neuropharmacology and drug safety.

Advisor: Weiming Xia, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology
Program: Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology
Research Summary: Xavier would like to explore the field of addiction and other cognitive disorders. 

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Karen Allen, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Chemistry
Research Summary: Jim uses X-ray crystallography and the study of enzyme kinetics to understand protein structure and function and to develop innovative therapeutics for difficult-to-drug disease targets.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology/ Biogen
Advisor:  David Farb, Ph.D. Program Director and Professor of Pharmacology
Research Summary: Cheyleanne is interested in elucidating mechanisms underlying in cancer and identifying targets for development therapeutic treatments.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology/ Biogen
Advisor:  David Farb, Ph.D. Program Director and Professor of Pharmacology
Research Summary: Noah is interested in drug target identification, primary drug candidate screening, and target hit optimization.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Valentina Perissi, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular Pathology
Research Summary: Justin is interested in the pathogenesis of cancer development, as well as discovering novel therapeutic methods for the treatment of the disease.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Maria Kukuruzinska, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Translational Dental Medicine
Research Summary: Emily researches HPV negative oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In this model of OSCC, an increased association of B-catenin with CBP in the nucleus promotes epigenetic changes that lead to cancer stemness and aggression. Specifically, Emily wants to elucidate how age-related changes to the tumor microenvironment contribute to this transcriptional regulation.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Xu Han, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Research Summary: Jennifer is interested in understanding the mechanisms of pathology in neurodegenerative diseases.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Shelley Russek, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Biology.
Research Summary: Jonique is seeking to understand the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease focusing on the rat hippocampal trisynaptic circuit and its inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: John A. Porco, Jr., PhD, Samour Family Professor of Chemistry
Research Summary: Stanley is developing proteomics-based tools to detect small molecule-protein interactions; his research will be used to identify the therapeutic targets of bioactive small molecules, predict off-target effects, and repurpose existing drugs.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: David Farb, Ph.D. Program Director and Professor of Pharmacology
Research Summary: Raven is interested in Neuropharmacology and pharmacognosy.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Shannon Fisher, M.D./Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology
Research Summary: Anita is interested in understanding the molecular biology underlying metabolic diseases, particularly diabetes, as well as cancer diseases, and using that knowledge toward drug discovery and development.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Tsuneya Ikezu, M.D./Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Neurology
Research Summary: Shawn is interested in studying the neuroimmune cell-mediated regulations of neuronal function as a novel area for developing disease therapeutics.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Neil Ganem, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine
Research Summary: Lee is interested in elucidating mechanisms underlying disease and identifying targets for the development of novel therapeutic treatments.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Hui Feng, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine
Research Summary: Daniel is interested in understanding disease mechanisms of immune evasion and suppression, as well as translational medicine and the development of therapeutic strategies for currently poor prognosis diseases.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Rachel Flynn, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine
Research Summary: Josh is interested in investigating the interface of pharmacology and immune disorders.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Hui Feng, M.D./Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine
Research Summary: Chinyere’s research utilizes both a zebrafish and in vitro model to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of leukemia’s exploitation of cell processes. She hopes to use these mechanisms, and high throughput drug screenings, to discover new and more targeted chemotherapy.

Program: Ph.D. in Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Angela Ho, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology
Research Interests: Sabrina’s research interests are in neuropharmacology/neurobiology.

Program: Ph.D. in Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: David Farb, Ph.D. Program Director and Professor of Pharmacology
Research Interests: Andre is interested in neuropharmacology and cell signaling.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Weiming Xia, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology
Research Summary: Vicki is interested in addiction and neurodegenerative diseases.

Advisor: Benjamin Wolozin, M.D./Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Neurology
Research Interests: Jenna is investigating how changes in the epitranscriptome affect the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. She is developing a high-throughput CRISPR screen to identify RNA modifications that modulate cellular stress responses in neurodegeneration.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Gerald Denis, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine
Research Summary: Use of mice as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) model to study the effect of high-fat diet on TNBC aggressiveness and its underlying mechanisms, including the role of exosome-induced tumor progression.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Aaron Beeler, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacology
Research Summary: Jac is interested in combining Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology for the discovery and development of drugs and characterization of mechanisms of diseases at a molecular level.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Shannon Fisher, M.D./Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology
Research Summary: Kelly is interested in the role of the immune system in neurodegenerative disease and therapeutic interventions targeting neuroimmune interactions.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: John H. Connor, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology
Research Summary: Michelle investigates endothelial cell activation and dysfunction in response to virus infection. Her work expands on microphysiological systems and 3D-engineered tissues to study virus-induced pathogenesis and inform therapeutic intervention.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: David Farb, Ph.D. Program Director and Professor of Pharmacology 
Research Summary: Neelakshi’s interests include neuropharmacology, specifically, elucidating the mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases for the development of novel therapeutics.

Program: Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Hengye Man, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Research Summary: Research interest is molecular neuroscience and synaptic plasticity.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Rachel Flynn, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology
Research Summary: Matt’s research focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of how telomeres work to maintain the ends of chromosomes and how defects in these mechanisms contribute to the progression of cancer. The hope is that mechanistic insight for these processes will help to define new therapeutic targets and/or strategies in the treatment of human disease.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: David Farb, Ph.D. Program Director and Professor of Pharmacology
Research Summary: Priscilla is interested in further understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, specifically the role of neuroinflammation in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s Disease.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Mark Grinstaff, Ph.D., Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Research Summary: Christine is interested in molecular pathways in cancer development.

Program: M.D./Ph.D. Graduate Program for Neuroscience
Advisor: Vickery Trinkaus-Randall, Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology
Research Summary: Kristen’s research is to identify the mechanisms of corneal wound healing at the level of cell signaling in healthy systems, and to understand how these mechanisms go wrong in diabetes. Her approaches involve a combination of wet lab techniques, confocal microscopy, and machine learning analysis to assess the role of the purinergic receptor P2X7 in the wound healing response.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Xue Han, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Research Summary: Jack is focused on researching the cellular mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases to help guide the development of therapeutic agents.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Karen Allen, Ph.D. Professor and Chair of Chemistry
Research Summary: Roxanne is interested in drug discovery and neuropharmacology.

Program: Ph.D. in Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Neil Ganem, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Pharmacology and MedicineResearch Summary:Nick’s research interests are neuropharmacology and cancer biology.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Douglas Rosene, Ph.D., Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Research Summary: Ana is interested in investigating oxidative damage, neuroinflammation, and gene expression changes in the aging brain. I am particularly interested in long term calorie restriction and investigating it’s possible neuroprotective role against inflammation and cognitive decline.

Program: Ph.D. Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Benjamin Wolozin, MD/Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Neurology
Research Summary: Chelsea‘s research focus involves researching therapeutic targets, identifying novel biomarkers, and developing genetic therapies for neurological diseases.

Program: Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Camron Bryant, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Psychiatry
Research Summary: Kelly is interested in exploring neuropsychiatric disorders and aims to contribute to the development of novel treatments.

Program: Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology
Advisor: David Farb, Ph.D. Program Director and Professor of Pharmacology
Research Summary: Rose’s research is focused on understanding the Hippo pathway and whole-genome doubling in melanoma and investigating the use of small molecule transcriptional inhibitors as a potential therapy.