Success Stories

Dr. Aishe Sarshad

Aishe received her bachelor’s degree from Berea College, KY, USA, in 2006. In 2009, she gained a master’s degree from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. She continued with PhD studies at the Karolinska Institute in Dr. Percipalle’s lab, where she studied nuclear actin and myosin. After her PhD work, she joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her postdoc work. In Dr. Hafner’s lab, Aishe switched fields and instead studied RNA-binding proteins. After four years, she returned to Sweden to establish an independent academic career. Notably, she was awarded the L’Oréal For Women in Science Prize in 2019. In 2020, Aishe launched her lab at the Gothenburg University, Sweden. Her work focuses on gene regulation through RNA interference mechanisms. In February 2025, Aishe was tenured as an Associate Professor, earning a full-time faculty position at Gothenburg University.

Dr. Suelyn Koerich

Suelyn is a neuroscientist and pharmacist with over nine years of research experience focused on Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative disorders. As a postdoctoral fellow at UTHealth Houston, she aims to understand the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease and develop innovative solutions. Her work focuses on the interaction between central and peripheral immune-inflammatory factors in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, utilizing biochemical, immunological, and microsurgical techniques. Committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in science, Suelyn supports underrepresented groups and promotes interdisciplinary collaborations for impactful research.

Ms. Tania Lopez

Tania grew up in Puebla, Mexico, and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Puebla. She spent two years in clinical training in nutritional support at two of Mexico’s most prestigious public hospitals. After that, she completed her Master’s degree in Molecular Biomedicine at the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City, where she conducted her honors thesis work, describing the proteomic changes in the pancreas of mice treated with mutated leptin, designed as a potential treatment for obesity. She then began a PhD in Biochemistry at Brigham Young University, joining the Andersen Lab. Three years after she joined, the lab relocated to the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, where she is completing her PhD in the Department of Oncological Sciences. Tania’s project focuses on understanding the biological function of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase TNK1, which has been linked to inflammation and cancer development. Outside the lab, Tania enjoys running, volleyball, listening to music, playing the ukulele, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

Dr. Dorothy Ngo Yin Fan

Dorothy is a senior research associate in the Department of Haematology and Oncology at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. She completed her PhD at the Department of Pathology at the University of Hong Kong, where she studied epigenetic dysregulations in liver cancer, particularly the core player of senescence, Suv39h, which led her to join the senescence research lab in Berlin. She, together with her colleagues, discovered the intrinsic stemness property of senescent cells, which was published in Nature in 2018, followed by her leading project on senescence-associated stemness in cancer aggressive phenotypes. She is currently focusing on her independent research, which explores cancer cell stress response and plasticity. In addition to her passion for cancer biology, she enjoys art and doodling and loves to incorporate her graphics into presentations and publications.

Dr. Santiago Ramirez

Dr. Susana C.B.R. Nakandakari

Susana is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at Yale University, with over 10 years of research experience focused on nutrition, exercise, and metabolism. She received her B.S. in Nutrition from
University of Campinas, Brazil, where she also earned her PhD in Nutrition and Sports Sciences and Metabolism. Her previous work focuses on the mechanism of high-fat diet and omega-3 fatty acids in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Currently, Susana is focusing
in experimental diets and metabolism in cancer and sepsis.

Dr. Christian Cazares

Christian (https://chriscaz.com/), an immigrant from Mexico, is a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Bradley Voytek’s lab at UC San Diego, co-mentored by Dr. Edward Callaway at the Salk Institute. He uses electrophysiology to bridge human EEG, neural organoids, and mouse models to study neurodevelopmental conditions. Dr. Cazares also co-administers the CoB-KIBM Scholars program (https://colorsofthebrain.com/cob-kibm/) in collaboration with the UC San Diego Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, which offers a paid summer research experience to undergraduates from historically marginalized and excluded backgrounds in neuroscience.

Dr. Rafael Gaspar

Rafael grew up in Brazil and earned his bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He went on to complete his Master’s and PhD in Nutrition, Sports Sciences, and Metabolism at UNICAMP. During his doctoral studies, Rafael investigated the effects of exercise and nutrition on liver inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. He was awarded a prestigious fellowship from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), which supported a PhD internship at Yale University in Dr. Gerald Shulman’s lab. Following his PhD, Rafael joined Dr. Shulman’s lab as a Postdoctoral Associate, where he has been developing expertise in stable isotope tracer methods to quantify in vivo metabolic fluxes. His research focuses on understanding how overnutrition and aging impair hepatic nutrient sensing, lipid handling, and intercellular metabolic signaling, contributing to the progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). His long-term goal is to identify liver-specific metabolic targets to prevent or treat age-related and nutrition-driven metabolic disorders.

Dr. Nourhan Hassan

Nourhan is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Germany. Originally from Egypt, Dr. Hassan completed her PhD in Molecular and Cancer Biology at the University of Münster with magna cum laude honor, focusing on proteoglycan networks in breast cancer radiation resistance. She is currently developing a 3D organoid model to study sebaceous gland biology and pathology. Dr. Hassan has published 20+ peer-reviewed articles and received multiple prestigious awards including recognition from the Federation of European Biochemical Societies and the German Breast Cancer Society. As an international researcher, she is passionate about advancing cancer research while supporting diversity and inclusion in STEM fields.

Dr. Michael Conoscenti

Michael is a postdoc in the Zelikowsky lab at the University of Utah, where he studies the neurocircuitry of social avoidance and aggression. Michael launched the First Generation in Science (FiGS) in 2022. The first person in his family to go to college, Michael developed FiGS as a way to support other first-generation college students, who often find themselves struggling with feelings of “other”, imposter syndrome, lack of resources, and more. The mission of FiGS is to 1) sponsor seminars which provide a platform for first-generation graduate students and postdocs to present their research, while also sharing their personal journey to science; 2) host annual keynote talks where scientists with first-generation backgrounds discuss their science and also discuss a topic related to first-generation students in STEM; and 3) sponsor networking events and workshops that foster a sense of community and provide tools and insights on career trajectory and goals.

Dr. Ilan Cerna-Turoff

Ilan (MA, MPH, PhD) is an epidemiologist who investigates widespread environmental disruption and social dimensions of health. His research aims to estimate complex and multilevel social and environmental exposures and their impact on population health. Across his research, he focuses on methodological adaptation and innovation of statistical designs for challenging settings and populations. Dr. Cerna-Turoff sits on the Child Health Accountability Tracking technical advisory group for the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Editorial Board of BMC Global and Public Health. He is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology in Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine.

Dr. N. Sai Prashanthi

Sai is a passionate microbiologist specializing in food and agricultural microbiology, with research interests that span soil microbiome dynamics, plant–microbe interactions, biofertilizers, and the microbial contributions to sustainable food production. Her work emphasizes the pivotal role of beneficial microorganisms in improving crop yield, soil fertility, and food quality, while promoting eco-friendly alternatives to chemical-based agriculture. Driven by the vision of integrating traditional Indian agricultural wisdom with modern microbiological research, Dr. Prashanthi explores concepts from Vedic agriculture and Mriga-Pakshi Shastra, connecting ancient ecological insights with present-day challenges in food security and environmental sustainability. She studies plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria, nitrogen-fixing and phosphate-solubilizing microbes, and their applications in organic farming systems. She is also interested in the microbial safety and quality of fermented foods, recognizing their nutritional and probiotic significance in Indian diets. With a commitment to advancing knowledge in agro-microbiology and sustainable food sciences, Dr. Prashanthi aims to develop integrated microbial strategies that can revolutionize agricultural productivity while maintaining ecological balance and human health.

Dr. Desta Mulu

Desta is a bioenergy and climate change researcher working at the intersection of forestry, agroforestry systems, and socio-ecological resilience among smallholder farmers. Her research focuses on evaluating the potential of converting forestry and agricultural waste into value-added products, including bioenergy and other sustainable bioproducts, to enhance livelihoods and ecosystem services. She has received various scholarships, grants, and research fellowships in support of her academic and professional development.

Dr. Shannon Townsend

Shannon is a postdoctoral fellow in the Hughes lab at Yale University, studying serotonin signaling and how it relates to islet function. Melding their undergraduate neuroscience training with doctoral islet biology training, their goal is to investigate the islet-brain axis to uncover potential pathways that can be targeted for diabetes therapeutics.

Dr. Weitao Wang

Weitao is a postdoctoral researcher at Institut Curie in Paris working on DNA replication and epigenetic regulation of the genome. His work focuses on developing and applying single-molecule technology to understand how DNA replication programs are altered in cancer. His previous research has resulted in publications in Cell (co-first author), Molecular Cell (first author), and Nature.

Dr. Muthukumar Karuppasamy

Muthukumar (Muthu) is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Alexander Neuromuscular Disease Research Lab (Dr. Matthew Alexander) in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Muthu is interested in investigating the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways associated with rare neuromuscular diseases (NMDs), as well as exploring the use of FDA-approved small molecules in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and other NMDs through a drug repurposing approach. Currently, he is generating and characterizing novel zebrafish and mice models and exploring various therapeutic strategies for DMD and autophagic vacuolar myopathies. He completed his Bachelor’s in Pharmacy at RVS College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Coimbatore, India), Master’s in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry from the Birla Institute of Technology (Ranchi, India), and Doctorate in Drug Discovery and Pharmacology at the Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore (NUS). His doctoral thesis focused on the drug discovery of antioxidant-based neuroprotectants in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Muthu worked in the academic research institutions and pharma/biotech industries in India and abroad for more than 10 years.

Dr. Chinyere Iweka

Chinyere earned her B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; her M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University; and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Georgetown University. She completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, where her research focuses on how the circadian clock regulates immune function and metabolism in aging and age-related diseases.

Dr. Sofie Mohlin

Sofie earned her MSc in Bioengineering from Lund University Faculty of Engineering in Sweden in 2008 and completed her PhD in 2013 at Lund University’s Faculty of Medicine, also in Sweden, under Prof. Sven Påhlman, focusing on protein signaling in childhood cancer. She then combined postdoctoral research on embryonic development at the California Institute of Technology in the United States (Prof. Marianne Bronner) and infant cancer at Lund University with starting a family and raising two children. Today, as a principal investigator at Lund University’s Stem Cell Center in Sweden, Sofie leads research on the molecular mechanisms of neural crest formation and how these processes contribute to childhood cancer.

Dr. Marina Carlson

Marina is a postdoctoral research development fellow specializing in science writing in Dr. Stefania Nicoli’s laboratory at the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center. She received her BS in Biochemistry at California State University, Fresno as part of the Smittcamp Family Honors College. Her love for research led her to Yale University for her PhD in Neuroscience, where she co-led the STARS program, which supports first-generation, low-income students in conducting independent research projects.

Dr. Osvaldo Contreras

Osvaldo is a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and UNSW Sydney, Australia. His research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate cell growth and identity, with a particular emphasis on
chromatin dynamics and cell cycle cross-talk in the vertebrate heart. He employs a range of experimental and computational techniques, using model systems that include mouse, zebrafish, and pluripotent stem cells.

Dr. James V. Parziale

James is a biochemist who trained at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York in Dr. Mandë Holford’s lab, where he studied the development of non-traditional animal cell models to investigate venom biology in mollusks such as
cone snails and octopus. He strives to work in science communication to improve how scientists communicate with one another and with the general public. In his free time, he enjoys dancing, tabletop games, and jigsaw puzzles.

Ms. Mumtaz Shirin

Mumtaz is a Ph.D. candidate in Oncological Sciences at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah. Originally from Bangladesh and raised in Oman, she brings a global perspective to her research and is fluent in both computational bioinformatics and wet-lab biology. Using this integrative approach, her work focuses on decoding how cells make metabolic “decisions,” with particular emphasis on how nutrient signals such as glutamine regulate the transcription factor RUNX2 in bone physiology and multiple myeloma progression. Beyond the bench, Mumtaz is deeply committed to fostering a scientific community that is representative and equitable. She serves as a leader of the University of Utah’s SACNAS chapter. A strong proponent of visual and narrative storytelling in science, she received First Prize in the BioRender Grant Support Initiative. Most recently, she was invited to present her talk, “Your Imagination: The Key to Solving Scientific Problems,” as part of the University of Utah’s Diversity and Science Lecture (DASL) series.

Dr. Caroline Haimerl

Caroline is a theoretical neuroscientist at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon. She holds bachelor’s degrees in statistics and psychology from the University of Vienna and earned her PhD in computational neuroscience from New York University, where she developed a theory of how the brain dynamically modulates visual processing to route task-relevant information to decision-making circuits. Her current research investigates how complex behavior emerges from hierarchical organization and parallel learning processes in neural systems. Using tools from machine learning and statistics, and working closely with experimental collaborators, she links computational theory to large-scale neural and behavioral data. Her work has been recognized with several competitive fellowships and awards, most recently the Simons Transition to Independence Award supporting the launch of her independent research program.

Dr. François Eya’ane Meva

Dr. Jelissa Reynoso-García

Jelissa is a first-generation Latina postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Davis. She obtained a Ph.D. in Biology (Microbiology track) at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus. She received the Outstanding Abstract Award from the American Society for Microbiology (2018) for her graduate work. As a postdoc, she initially studied the gastrointestinal pathophysiology of Angelman Syndrome, and then turned her focus to studying the link between the gut microbiota and behavior in Hispanic children with autism spectrum disorders. She has published multiple papers and received competitive fellowships, the most recent being the UC Davis MIND Institute’s Interdisciplinary Autism Research Training Program. Dr. Reynoso-García’s future goals include advocating for the inclusion of Hispanic minorities’ representation in autism research to address health disparities through microbiota-based personalized medicine.

Dr. Ann Wells

Ann is a postdoctoral associate at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, ME. She is interested in understanding how genetics and environment influence disease states. She uses computational tools to understand these complex genetic systems, particularly in the context of the autoimmune disease systemic lupus nephritis. Her previous work investigated the role of diet, genetics, and sex on the tissue metabolome. Using metabolomics and various computational and statistical techniques, she aimed to understand the complex interactions between diet, genetics, and sex and how each influenced physiological parameters in mice. Ann enjoys biking, hiking, and spending time with her friends and husband in her free time.

Dr. Margarete Diaz Cuadros

Margarete is an Independent Fellow in the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at Columbia University (2014) and later completed her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Olivier Pourquie at Harvard Medical School (2022). Her graduate research focused on developing in vitro systems to recapitulate the mammalian segmentation clock based on pluripotent stem cells. Margarete launched her independent research group through a special fellow’s program directly after completing her PhD. The Diaz Cuadros laboratory focuses on understanding species-specific developmental rates’ molecular and genetic basis by combining in vitro stem cell work with in vivo studies in C. elegans. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Margarete enjoys cooking, baking, and looking after her vegetable garden. Please read more about her here.

Dr. Sihem Cheloufi

Sihem is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Riverside, where she leads a successful and diverse research group. She actively engages in educational and professional activities that benefit the scientific, academic, and public communities. She earned her PhD at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where she discovered a novel microRNA processing pathway. During her postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital, her work revealed how manipulating nucleosome assembly during DNA replication is a powerful tool for reprogramming cell fate. Her group brings together expertise in stem cell, RNA and chromatin biology to understand cellular plasticity mechanisms, with the broader vision to apply her findings in therapeutic settings. Outside the lab, she is a mother of two girls, enjoys cooking, and loves exploring nature.

Dr. Dalia Halawani

Dr. Yuanwei Li

Yuanwei is a Stanford Science Fellow in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University. She works at the intersection of chemistry, biophotonics, and nanomaterials. She received her PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Northwestern
University in 2023, where she studied the programmable assembly of nanoparticles and their optical and mechanical properties. At Stanford, Yuanwei focuses on developing new nanophotonic platforms for biosensing. She is passionate about designing structured
materials for improved health monitoring and sustainability.

Dr. Chengyu Deng

Chengyu is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California San Francisco, with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech. Her research uses advanced genomic tools to investigate how genetic mutations contribute to neurological disorders. Dr. Deng has authored over ten research papers, including a first-author publication in Science, and has received the Weill Neurohub Postdoctoral Fellowship. Her current and future work focuses on understanding how epigenetic changes contribute to neurodegeneration and brain aging, to develop precision medicine tailored to individual epigenetic profiles.

Dr. Carlos Ceballos Gonzalez

Carlos is a Bioengineer with a PhD and MSc in Biotechnology from Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico. He is from Cali, Colombia, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree at Universidad del Valle. He then moved to the Tecnologico de Monterrey for graduate work. During his graduate studies, he was a visiting research scholar at Paul Weiss’ Lab at the University of California-Los Angeles (USA), and at Ali Khademhosseini’s Lab at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (USA). He was also a visiting student at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, in early 2024. During his graduate studies, Carlos became proficient in several biomedical engineering approaches, including 3D-bioprinting, microfluidics, organ-on-chip, and multi-cellular 3D-models. He published nine original articles from his PhD work and submitted two patent applications to the United States Patent Office. Following his fascination with how the embryo builds all the tissues of the body, he joined the Boroviak Lab as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge. His research aims to elucidate the origin of the human body axis formation using embryo models. Carlos delights in nurturing a positive work culture where everyone shines. He also enjoys working collaboratively in multicultural environments. Outside of the Lab, you can find Carlos walking around Cambridge with his wife and his son.

Dr. Liana Boraas

Liana completed her PhD at Tulane University in the Biomedical Engineering department. Currently, she works at Yale University in the Cardiovascular Research Center, investigating the intersection of mechanobiology and RNA biology.

Ms. Therese Cordero Dumit

Therese is a PhD candidate in the Immunobiology program at Yale University, where she studies the role of dendritic cells in the cancer-immunity cycle. Before coming to New Haven, she received her B.S. in Neuroscience and B.A. in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University. Throughout her undergraduate career, Therese conducted research in a neuro-oncology laboratory at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, studying the abscopal effect in melanoma metastases. Her summer research experience on cross-presenting dendritic cells at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research solidified Therese’s interest in pursuing an academic career. Ultimately, Therese aims to uncover fundamental dendritic cell biology to further our understanding of how to harness this immune cell for treatment-resistant tumors and other immune-mediated diseases.

Dr. Susana Cavallero

Susana is an Assistant Professor at the College of Science and Health and the Urban Health Institute of Charles R. Drew University in Los Angeles, CA. She earned her PhD from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, where she studied the natriuretic peptides ANP and BNP in rat models of cardiac hypertrophy. She moved to Los Angeles in 2009 to pursue postdoctoral training in cardiovascular embryonic development at the University of Southern California. Her research on mouse coronary vessel development was funded by a Postdoctoral Fellowship and Scientist Development Grant from the American Heart Association, and a Pilot Award from the Wright Foundation. She then joined the Division of Cardiology at UCLA and VA Medical Center to study metabolic transducers and vascular protection. Susana started her lab at CDU in June 2024, where she leads a research group investigating endothelial signaling pathways using “exercise in a dish” in vitro approaches and mouse models of exercise and cardiometabolic disease. She is actively involved in the North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO) and participates in several mentoring programs for master’s, undergraduate, and high school students in the cardiovascular field. Please learn more about her here: CDU SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Susana Cavallero – Advancing Cardiovascular Research and Mentoring Students to Success | Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science

Ms. Kayla O’Toole

Kayla grew up in Vermont and completed her undergraduate degree in medical laboratory science at the University of Vermont, where she also did her honors thesis work characterizing the interaction between protein kinase A and a novel binding partner in the Deming Laboratory. She then spent two years working as a clinical chemist at the University of Vermont Medical Center before joining the Oncological Sciences PhD program at the University of Utah. Her project in the McMahon Lab focuses on finding novel therapeutic targets by uncovering the interactome of a commonly mutated oncogene in melanoma and lung cancer. When not in the lab, she loves spending time with friends and taking advantage of all the outdoor activities that Utah has to offer, like downhill skiing, mountain biking, fly fishing, and trail running​.

Dr. Mohamed Abdelhack

Mohamed is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada. He uses computational neuroscience and machine and deep learning to model psychiatric disorders and neural processing. He combines the tools of NeuroAI and psychiatry to understand how brain dynamics and connectivity change with psychiatric disorders. He is a recipient of the Canada Brain Stars Award and the Neuro – Irv and Hilga Cooper Open Science International Trainee Award.
From Alexandria, Egypt, Mohamed developed his interest in the human brain while studying electrical engineering at Alexandria University. He then moved to Japan for his graduate studies, where he investigated the human visual cortex and modeled its computations using deep neural networks and brain decoding. He later worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Washington University in St. Louis, developing brain-inspired machine-learning models to predict post-surgical medical outcomes. He also worked as a researcher at Kyoto University Hospital, studying neural activity markers of schizophrenia using brain-decoding techniques. He is the founder of Arabs in Neuroscience, a grassroots organization that focuses on elevating the standing of Arab neuroscientists and helping aspiring students join the field.

Ms. Harriet Mawia

Harriet Mawia is a PhD candidate at the University of Nairobi, specializing in Agricultural and Applied Economics. Her research focuses on smallholder farmers’ seed choice behavior to promote varietal turnover and boost agricultural production, food security, and livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa. Driven by a passion for sustainable development, Harriet employs participatory and policy-driven strategies to tackle pressing socio-economic challenges. Her work advances resilient agricultural and food systems, delivering transformative impacts in diverse communities.

Mr. Daniel Nyukuri Kwoba

Daniel is an MSc. student in Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. He has a background in analytical chemistry and is a laboratory technologist at the Department of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Nairobi. His work involves supporting research, training students, and facilitating laboratory operations. His research interests span natural products, toxicology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, reproductive biology, and comparative physiology. He has contributed significantly to academic and practical research in his field, playing roles in training and mentoring interns and junior staff.

Dr. Nathalie Aoun

Nathalie is a USA-NIFA postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis. She obtained her Ph.D. in plant-microorganism interactions at the Laboratory of Plant-Microbe Interactions of INRAE (Toulouse, France), where her research explored the genetic basis of plant defense responses to Ralstonia under heat stress conditions. Her current research focuses on investigating the infection and colonization mechanisms of the plant pathogen Ralstonia. Dr. Aoun’s broader research interests aim to uncover how the ecology and evolution of pathogenic and plant populations are influenced during their interactions, particularly under the impact of environmental factors.

Dr. Timothy Bamgbose

Dr. Habtamu Abera Goshu

Habtamu is a Lecturer/Senior Researcher in Animal Genetics and Molecular Breedingworks at the Bio and Emerging Technology Institute and has worked for the Oromia Agricultural Research Institute as an Associate Researcher at Bako Agricultural Research Center for 15 years. He graduated with a Ph.D. degree in Animal Genetics, Breeding, and Reproduction from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and his thesis project was entitled “Study on the Copy Number Variations of the CHKB, KLF6, GPC1, and CHRM3 Genes Associated with Growth Traits and Gene Expression in Chinese Domestic Yak (Bos grunniens)”. In agriculture, he works on genetics and breeding of livestock and has technical skills in genetic estimation (heritability, breeding value, direct additive, and material heritability). He has experience in the accurate detection of CNVs and SNPs for integrating genomics into breeding programs and in identifying and utilizing DNA-based markers in breeding programs.

Dr. Elif Karagöz

Elif majored Molecular Biology and Genetics with a minor in Chemistry at the Middle East Technical University in Turkey. She got her Master’s degree in Molecular Biology at the Max Planck Research School in Göttingen. After completing her PhD at Utrecht University in the group of Stefan Rüdiger, she did a postdoc at Peter Walter’s lab at the University of California San Francisco.

Dr. Julia Mack

Julia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology at UCLA. She received her Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from UCLA and then work in the aerospace industry at Teledyne Scientific. After developing an interest in biomaterials for tissue engineering applications, she decided to return to UCLA to study vascular biology as a Postdoctoral Fellow. As a postdoc, she discovered that endothelial NOTCH1 is a mechanosensor that functions to maintain arterial homeostasis and prevent vascular inflammation. Julia became faculty at UCLA in July 2018 where her research lab studies modes of endothelial cell mechanotransduction to discover how blood flow forces control cardiovascular health and function. To this end, the lab utilizes bioreactor systems to control the microenvironment and investigates how cells organize and communicate using high resolution live cell and confocal imaging techniques.

Dr. Tiroyaone Albertinah Matsika

Albertinah is a biodiversity conservation researcher and professional at the Botswana University of Agriculture & Natural Resources. She has a passion for natural resource conservation through sustainable development, education, awareness, and stakeholder engagement. She aims to make a significant contribution to species conservation, minimizing human-wildlife conflict, and contributing to successful food security goals. She enjoys working with vulnerable communities or remote villages (where many subsistence farmers are based), women and girls, and school children. She has dedicated her time to actively working with Women for Conservation Botswana and in national ecosystem assessment and species management projects. Albertinah envisions a Botswana with (1) more educated women and girls, (2) communities who can sustainably harvest biodiversity and ecosystem resources, and (3) communities who can devise and work hard towards achieving sustainability in food security and zero hunger. 

Dr. Bernard Mbwele

Bernard is an Epidemiologist and Clinical Researcher. He trained in Medicine at UDSM, Clinical Research at Tumaini University, KCMUCo, and then quality of care at Radboud University, the Netherlands, and Multidisciplinary Health sciences at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. He is a research fellow for Patient-Centered Outcome Research (PCOR) at MUHAS and Northwestern University. He is a research collaborator at University College London (UCL) for Obstetric Haemorrhage management as a Co-PI for the London – Mbeya Obstetric Project. He is a senior program manager for the C-Sage Program and a national Lead in Tanzania, in collaboration with the Indian team through the WHO Collaborating Centre for Women’s Health at Birmingham University. A national lead for the African Surgical Outcome studies in Tanzania in collaboration with the University of Cape Town. He has published over 20 articles on Reproductive Maternal Newborn and Child Health and Surgical Outcome studies in Africa. He has recently led Chapter 4 and Chapter 25 of the Tanzanian Standard Treatment Guideline and National Essential Medicine List (STG & NEMT) using AMR reports in Tanzania. He has also collaborated with Antwerp University and the Northumbria University Newcastle for Global PPS use in AMS – Mbeya, Tanzania.

Dr. Marina Tristao

Marina studies the role of platelets during pregnancy complications, such as pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. Our research aims to understand changes in PDGF-B and platelet function alter pregnancy outcomes. Dr. Matthew Rondina, MD, MS, supervises this project.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading about Feng Shui, hiking, and sharing good food with friends.

Dr. Christine Lalonde

Christine completed her PhD at Laurentian University and recently worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Northern Ontario School of Medicine University and the underground neutrino laboratory in Sudbury, Ontario (SNOLAB), focusing on sub-background radiation on epigenetics.

Dr. Nicole Dubois

Nicole is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology at Mount Sinai. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Biology from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, studying the role of c-myc during embryonic hematopoiesis. During her postdoctoral work  at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada, she became interested in cardiogenesis, and specifically in the use of pluripotent stem cells to model cardiac development and disease. In 2013, Nicole started her lab at the  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, where she continues to pursue her interest in the mechanisms of early heart formation and their translation to human disease. To this end, her group has studied early atrial-ventricular lineage segregation, the role of metabolism during cardiac maturation, the role of Notch signaling in cardiac specification, identification of patient-specific drug signatures, the mechanisms of early sarcomere assembly, and the role of RNA-binding protein during cardiac development.

Dr. Jacqueline Dikti Vildina

Jacqueline is a general parasitologist transitioning to clinical parasitology. As an early career researcher, her research focuses on infectious diseases of poverty such as onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and leishmaniasis. I lecture in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Ngaoundere, Cameroon. I obtained her Ph.D. at the University of Ngaoundere in 2017 and have been a lecturer in the same institution as well as at the Catholic University Institute since 2018. I received many scholarships, including the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). I hope to see people in the third world able to live and pursue their dreams without infectious diseases burden.

Ms. Andin Fosam

Andin is an MD-PhD student at Yale School of Medicine completing her graduate work in Cellular and Molecular Physiology in the Perry lab. She studies the metabolic phenotypes of post-surgical muscle injury/repair using blood flow restriction techniques. This focus combines her interest in orthopedics and rehabilitation with broader interests in translational metabolism, strength training, and chronic metabolic disease. Andin is excited to leverage her athletic background and the skills she’s building in basic and clinical settings to contribute to orthopedic research and become a future surgeon-scientist.

Mr. Merhawi Alemu Birhanu

Merhawi is a resident of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. He holds a BSc. degree in Medical Laboratory Science and an MSc. degree in Medical Parasitology, both obtained from Mekelle University. He works as a Lecturer and Researcher at Adigrat University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Medical Laboratory. In this capacity, his responsibilities encompass teaching, conducting research, and engaging in community services.

Ms. Phaedra Ghazi

Phaedra is a graduate student at the University of Utah pursuing her Ph.D. in oncological science and a master’s in clinical investigation. Her graduate work includes studying whether combined inhibition of KRAS and autophagy is a superior treatment strategy to either
single agent in pre-clinical models of lung cancer. She loves enjoying all the amazing outdoor recreation in Utah and reading in her spare time.

Dr. Belinda Waltman

Belinda is a primary care physician and the Director of Care Delivery Transformation within Population Health at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Previously, she was the Medical Director of Whole Person Care Los Angeles, a Medi-Cal waiver-funded initiative designed to create an integrated health delivery system that provides seamless, coordinated care to the most vulnerable Medi-Cal beneficiaries in the LA County system, including those experiencing homelessness, justice-involvement, serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or complex medical conditions. Dr. Waltman sees patients at LA General Hospital in the Continuity Care Clinic, which serves high-risk patients recently discharged from the hospital or undergoing complex outpatient diagnostic evaluations while they are connected to primary care. Before joining LA County Dept of Health Services, Dr. Waltman was a physician leader and clinical educator in the safety net clinic setting in San Francisco. Dr. Waltman is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Maria Silveira

Dr. Silveira is a researcher, palliative care specialist, and ethicist at the University of Michigan and the Kettles Ann Arbor Veteran Administration Medical Center. Her research aims to improve the management of pain and other symptoms related to cancer or cancer treatment. She received career development funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Veterans Administration. Her research has been published in JPSM, JAGS, JAMA, and NEJM. In 2014, she was awarded fellow status by the AAHPM and was promoted to Associate Professor at the University of Michigan. She was on the Committee that created the first set of VA/DoD Evidence-Based Guidelines for Long-Term Opioid Therapy. She is the Director of Research for the UM’s Palliative Care Program. She teaches ethics, communication, and symptom management to students and trainees, and mentors fellows, junior faculty, and doctoral candidates in research. Areas of interest: Cancer pain and chronic pain, safe use of opioids in palliative care and oncology.