Doctoral Students

Researching and developing cancer treatments, emphasizing electrochemotherapy and liposomal chemotherapy drug delivery.

Advisor: Dr. Daniel Fologea

Focusing on membrane biophysics and is skilled in producing liposomes, spherical hollow structures formed from phospholipid bilayers. Liposomes are already FDA approved as drug delivery vehicles, my research hopes to produce liposomes containing receptors for toxins integrated in their membrane. These liposomes would act as decoys that could sponge up toxins preventing them from reaching their intended target and reducing their deleterious effects.

Advisor: Dr. Daniel Fologea

To better understand the membrane insertion and transport properties of pore-forming toxins and provide insights into preventing infectiveneess by modulating their permeability via exploitation of regulatory mechanisms.

Advisor: Dr. Daniel Fologea

Developing a more accurate qPCR assay for telomere quantitation and developing RNA reporters that only fluoresce when in the presence of a ligand and a fluorophore.

Advisor: Dr. Eric Hayden

Small molecule drug discovery and analysis using protein expression and purification techniques as well as nuclear magnetic resonance titration studies for the development of novel drug treatments for atherosclerosis. Side projects include food chemistry and neutraceutical quality control analysis for area industry.

Advisor: Dr. Owen McDougal

I work towards understanding the role AhR plays in the generation of fibrotic hepatic tissue.

Advisor: Dr. Kristen Mitchell

Currently in Lab Rotations

Currently in Lab Rotations

Teaching BIOL 227 & 228

Molecular regulation of Matrix Gla Protein, a crucial vascular calcification inhibitor.

Advisor: Dr. Allan Albig

Understanding the way that the extracellular matrix impacts the progression of cancer in the human body, especially as a result of inflammatory response mechanisms, will provide insight on preventing cancer metastasis.

Advisor: Dr. Cheryl Jorcyk

Currently in Lab Rotations

Teaching BIOL 227 & 228

My research is focused on measuring the kinetics of alternative splicing and transcription in mammalian cells. My project seeks to determine the fundamentals of how genes are processed using a custom-built 3-D Orbital Tracking microscope that is uniquely equipped to image and photograph single cells, and also track and correlate the locations of multiple important molecules like RNA and processing machinery within a living cell.

Advisor: Dr. Matthew Ferguson

Understanding the role of Collagen type XI alpha one chain (COL11A1) in the structure and function of sensory organs. My research focuses on understanding the role of COL11A1 in the proper development of the inner ear and the eye.

Advisor: Dr. Julia Oxford

My research is focused on better understanding how the extracellular matrix during neuroinflammation can differentially regulate the barrier function of the endothelial cells that form the blood-brain barrier.

Advisor: Dr. Richard Beard and Dr. Julia Oxford

Fitness landscapes of natural populations and telomere length assay development.

Advisor: Dr. Eric Hayden

Post concussive biomarkers.

Advisor: Dr. Denise Wingett

Understanding the role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in cholestatic liver injury and fibrosis.

Advisor: Dr. Kristen Mitchell

Investigating the underlying mechanism by which differentiating neural progenitor cells direct protein retention or degradation during the process of differentiation. We have identified a novel pathway that connects protein homeostasis to Autism spectrum disorders. Currently, we are focusing on characterizing the enzyme responsible for this phenomenon for therapeutic targeting.

Advisor: Dr. Brad Morrison

Characterizing intracellular trafficking and receptor binding of the AB5 toxin produced by multi drug-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium.

Advisor: Dr. Juliette Tinker

My research focuses on deciphering the role of collagen type XI in the heart during development and regeneration in zebrafish.

Advisor: Dr. Julia Oxford

Currently in Lab Rotations

I use a 3D orbital tracking microscope to measure the kinetics of transcription with single site resolution. My focus is on the role of promoter/enhancer looping on transcription.

Advisor: Dr. Matthew Ferguson

Toxicology of AhR ligans during liver regeneration and fibrosis.

Advisor: Dr. Kristen Mitchell

In our lab, ZnO nanoparticles have shown to  induce selective cytotoxicity in T cell lymphomas, when compared to their non-malignant cell  counterparts. We aim to study the potential conjugation of ZnO nanoparticles with other current anti-cancer therapeutics and their molecular mechanism in multiple malignant cell lines, especially in lymphomas.

Advisor: Dr. Denise Wingett

Live-cell RNA dynamics of synthetic riboswitches, Fluorescence Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy, and RNA Fitness Landscapes.

Advisor: Dr. Eric Hayden

Studying drug delivery systems, with particular emphasis on liposomes as the drug carrier, and the cells of the immune system as the target organ. As his compelling interest is the autoimmune disease type 1 diabetes, his research is directed toward eliminating or modulating the behavior of the immune cells which are responsible for this disease.

Advisors: Dr. Daniel Fologea and Dr. Denise Wingett

Understanding the role of lipids on the regulation of autophagy in Parkinson’s Disease.

Advisor: Dr. Brad Morrison

Focusing on the bioengineering field creating in-vitro models of tissue such as ligament, tendon, cartilage, muscle and bone. The intention is to study the causes and conditions of common and rare diseases associated with these tissues. Conditions include but are not limited to arthritis, chronic overuse, sprains and tears, achondrogenesis, Elhers-Danlos syndrome, and Stickler syndrome. This venture has led to an emphasis on studying the gene expression of extracellular matrix biomarkers from various cells lines in under various conditions.

Advisor: Dr. Julia Oxford

Using computational prediction and wet bench validation to investigate receptor-ligand interactions of alpha-conotoxins and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in order to improve the binding affinity and selectivity of conotoxins for particular receptor subtypes.

Advisor: Dr. Owen McDougal

Studying tight-junction transcriptional changes of the blood brain barrier during neuroinflammation. 

Advisor: Dr. Richard Beard and Dr. Cheryl Jorcyk

Studying the mechanosensitive properties of ion channels and their effects on cellular processes. Currently I am focused on TRPV4 channels found in immune cells, which allow calcium passage across the cell membrane in response to mechanical stress.

Advisor: Dr. Daniel Fologea

Utilizing zebrafish skills to understand how Src mediated phosphorylation of Notch controls Notch signaling outputs.

Advisor: Dr. Allan Albig

Studying inflammatory proteins called cytokines and how they promote cancer metastasis. My dissertation research involves evaluating how receptor status in breast cancer patients can impact their response to these inflammatory proteins, and which patients may benefit most from therapeutics against them. Other projects I work on include analyzing how proinflammatory proteins impact prostate cancer metastasis, and a collaboration project focusing on developing and testing novel therapeutics specific the cytokines we study.

Advisor: Dr. Cheryl Jorcyk