Pre-Graduate MD/PhD
Francesco Cimino
Francesco.cimino@downstate.edu
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
B.S. Fordham University
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: My previous research experience includes developing protein-based cancer therapeutics while at Fordham, and several years studying cancer metabolism at Memorial Sloan Kettering. I have a broad range of research interests including neurodegenerative diseases, cancer biology, and metabolism.
Gabriela Giordano
gabriela.giordano@downstate.edu
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
B.S. Brandeis University
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: Background in basic molecular biology research, specifically eukaryotic transcription processes and bacterial DNA repair.
Madhavi Jere
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences, MD/PhD
B.S. Vassar College
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: Molecular Neuroscience
Kianna von Maydell
kianna.vonmaydell@downstate.edu
Program: MD/PhD
B.S. Mills College
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: Background in mammalian functional genomics and enhancer biology, interested in evolutionary developmental biology, gene therapy and functional genomics
Hunter Rice
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.S. Cornell University
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: My research background is in basic neurobiology, specifically modulatory dopamine pathways, and clinical neurology, as it relates to traumatic brain injuries and anti-seizure medications. My current research interest is in traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic epilepsy.
Tadeusz Wroblewski
taduesz.wroblewski@downstate.edu
Program: MD/PhD
B.S. University of Denver
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: I am interested in computational genetics and research related to health disparities.
G1
Fathema Z. Uddin
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology, MD/PhD
B.S. The City College of New York (CUNY)
M.S. The City College of New York (CUNY)
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: I have a strong interest in the field of Oncology. My previous research includes conducting CRISPR screens to discover drug targets in rare lung cancers with poor response to current therapies, including subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma and small-cell lung cancer. I also completed my Master’s thesis at The City College of New York where I investigated chemotherapy-induced cognitive-impairment in a rodent model. I aspire to continue building my investigative skills with my emergent medical knowledge at SUNY Downstate and bring innovative therapies for cancer patients.
Evan Davis
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology, MD/PhD
B.S. Stony Brook University
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: I started in a structural biology lab at Stony Brook using cryo-EM to study the structure of chromatin. I then worked at UAlbany, examining codon usage patterns in various organisms using computational methods and ultimately making a web based app for further analysis using a GUI. My interests are using math and computers to solve problems and create practical applications.
Fajobi Sunday Joseph
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.Pharm. Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: My previous research was in neuropharmacology. I am currently interested in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics.
Tarek Kashan
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.S. West University of Timisoara
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: Background in Neuroimmunology, Stem Cell Modeling, Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative diseases, and cell isolation from fresh post-mortem brain tissue.
Interested in investigating the impact of cognitive state-altering methods on brain oscillations in vivo, and the molecular and cellular outcomes of these changes, such as: changes in gene expression, DNA methylation, synaptic plasticity, chromatin remodeling, and mitochondrial function of neurons, through different modeling approaches.
Syamantak Mukherjee
syamantak.mukherjee@downstate.edu
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.S Pune, India
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: I started my research journey by studying Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and how Epstein-Barr Virus is involved. However, having always been interested in neuroscience, during the final year of my graduation, I got the opportunity to work on therapeutics of Parkinson's Disease by targeting epigenetic modulators. My future goals lie in understanding the cellular and molecular underpinnings of neurodegeneration and memory dysfunction.
Dativo Sanchez-Gonzalez
dativo.sanchez-gonzalez@downstate.edu
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
G2
Michelle Lam
michelle.lam-grad@downstate.edu
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
B.S. New York University
M.S. Fordham University
Thesis Laboratory: Thomas Postler, PhD (IAVI)
Research Interests & Experience: Immunology, public health, and vaccine development.
Molly Leitner
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.S. Hamilton College
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: My previous research interests and experience were in neurodegenerative diseases and metabolism. Currently I am interested in psychiatric disorders.
Tyler Lu
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
B.S. Rutgers University
M.S. Rutgers University
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: I'm interested in neurovascular biology. In particular, I want to develop and work with stem cell-derived in vitro models of the blood brain barrier in the context of various diseases.
Scott McElroy
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.S. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Thesis Laboratory: Salvador Dura-Bernal
Research Interests & Experience: Formerly involved in the study of addiction and reward guided decision making using in vivo mouse models, my focus has since shifted to computational neuroscience. Currently, I am interested in studying the underlying mechanisms of disease states using data driven multi-scale models of the brain.
Anika Sanjana
Program: Neural and Behavioral Science
B.S. Caldwell University
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Research Interests & Experience: My background is in traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, and chronic stress in rodents. My interest is traumatic brain injury.
G3 & Above
Appy Bhattacharya, PhD
aparajita.bhattacharya@downstate.edu
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
B.S. University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
MRes University of Birmingham, UK
Thesis Laboratory: Jin Montclare, PhD; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, NYU
Research Interests & Experience: Current work focused on engineering and characterizing rationally-designed protein biomaterials. Our goal is to improve cancer drug delivery and enable its multimodal diagnosis via NIRF, MRI and PET imaging. Our platform is, therefore, a multimodal theranostic agent (therapeutic + diagnostic).
Ana Mejia-Bautista
ana.mejia-bautista@downstate.edu
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.S. Stony Brook University
Thesis Laboratory: Douglas Ling, PhD; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Research Interests & Experience: Our laboratory is investigating the changes in cortical neural circuit function caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI) that lead to neuropathologies such as posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE). We are particularly interested in TBI-induced alterations to the excitatory/inhibitory balance. We are attempting to assess these changes using wireless EEG and electrophysiology techniques.
Amelia Biswas
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.S. Caldwell University
Thesis Laboratory: Undecided
Jordi Chanovas
Program: Neural and Behavioral Science
B.S. Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
Thesis Laboratory: Juan Marcos Alarcon, PhD; Department of Pathology
Research Interests & Experience: My thesis project at the laboratory of Dr. Juan Marcos Alarcon investigates the impact of gut microbiota on learning and memory. More specifically, whether gut dysbiosis alters the formation of neuronal ensembles recruited by memory disrupting the capacity to associate memory experiences.
Sailee Vijay Chavan
BSc & MSc, University of Mumbai
M.S. St John's University
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Thesis Laboratory: Chongmin Huan MD, PhD; Department of Cell Biology
Research Interests & Experience: My PhD research focuses on evaluating the synergistic effects of Hydroxychloroquine and 2-Hydroxyoleic acid in treating lupus through a preclinical animal model. More precisely, my dissertation delves into understanding the defective B cell tolerance in lupus pathogenesis. I'm particularly interested in how combining 2-Hydroxyoleic acid (2-OHOA), an anti-cancer lipid drug, with Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a widely recognized lupus treatment, could enhance the therapeutic outcome and simultaneously reduce costs.
Shreya Desikan
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology, MD/PhD
B.S. Carnegie Mellon University
Thesis Laboratory: Chongmin Huan MD, PhD; Department of Cell Biology
Research Interests & Experience: My PhD Thesis is focused on studying defective Germinal Center B Cell tolerance in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE/Lupus). Specifically, I am investigating how increases in immunoregulatory genes due to inadequate X Chromosome Inactivation (XCI) contribute to a novel B Cell tolerance pathway studied by our research team. With this work, we hope to elucidate a novel mechanism to improve our understanding of the gender and racial bias of SLE. I have previous experience studying pediatric autoinflammatory disease and hematopoietic stem cell generation in vitro in both academic and pharmaceutical settings. My clinical interests are largely focused in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN).
Rachel Furhang
Program: Neural and Behavioral Science
B.S. CUNY- College of Staten Island, Macaulay Honors College
Thesis Laboratory: Peter Bergold, PhD; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology
Research Interests & Experience: Chronic effects of brain injury, neurodegeneration, and the influence of sex on recovery from injury.
Mulin He, PhD
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
B.S. Dalian Medical University, China
M.S. Emporia State University
Thesis Laboratory: Xian-Cheng Jiang, PhD; Department of Cell Biology
Research Interests & Experience: Lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis
Siobhan Lawless
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.S. Fordham University
M.S. Columbia University
Thesis Laboratory: Peter Bergold, PhD; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology
Research Interests & Experience: My thesis work focuses on assessing 1. the chronic effects of a single head injury in mice and 2. the effect of MINO and N-acetylcysteine as a potential treatment. This work utilizes mouse motor kinematics, radiological (structural), histological (pathological), and electrophysiological (functional) measures to uncover the evolving pathophysiology of head injury in mice.
Pargol Mashati
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
B.S. Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
M.Sc. Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
Thesis Laboratory: Prem Premsrirut, MD, PhD; Department of Cell Biology
Research Interests & Experience: My main research interest is on cancer biology. My previous research was on lymphoblastic leukemia and currently I'm working on colorectal cancer.
Joao Moreira
Program: Neural and Behavioral Science
B.S. Universidade do Vale do Paraíba, São Paulo - Brazil
M.Sc. Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo - Brazil
Thesis Laboratory: Salvador Dura-Bernal, PhD; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Research Interests & Experience: Biophysically inspired computational models of the brain. Currently working in the development of single-cell and network models of the Thalamus, to study the Thalamocortical and Corticothalamic pathways and its functional role in neuronal signal processing of information and behavior.
My previous work includes: Development of a Biofeedback device for the rehabilitation of transfemoral amputees; study of Carbon-based materials for supercapacitors; and Biomaterials for bone tissue regeneration.
Sofía Morel
sofia.tortoramorel@downstate.edu
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Doctor of Dental Surgery, Universidad de los Andes
Thesis Laboratory: Laura Martello-Rooney, PhD; Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Research Interests & Experience: I am interested in emphasizing the important role of oral health in the context of systemic diseases. We are currently studying the role of the oral microbiome and periodontal disease in colon cancer. We aim to increase the representation of African American patients in cancer databases by investigating microbiome composition and inflammatory profile in clinical samples. In addition to evaluating the use of biomarkers present in oral fluids and serum to potentially link to location and prognosis in colon cancer.
Riley Morrone
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.S. Virginia Tech
Thesis Laboratory: Peter Bergold, PhD; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology
Research Interests & Experience: My current research focuses on investigating the pathophysiological changes in white matter that occur following Traumatic Brain Injury.
Aditi Naik
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.Pharm University of Mumbai
Thesis Laboratory: Dr. Sabina Hrabetova, Department of Cell Biology
Research Interests & Experience: Our lab, Hrabetova Lab, focuses on understanding how the structure and contents of the brain's extracellular space affect the movement and transport of molecules through the brain tissue. This transport can be relevant for drug delivery, movement of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, as well as clearance of toxic metabolic waste. My study focuses specifically on an extracellular matrix molecule, hyaluronan and its functions in the brain tissue. I have a Bachelor's degree in pharmacy from University of Mumbai, India. After finishing PhD, I would like to work in the industry as a scientist in the field of brain drug delivery.
Leibish Nash
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
M.A. University of Rochester
Thesis Laboratory: Jeremy Coplan, MD; Department of Psychiatry
Research Interests & Experience: Investigating molecular underpinnings, including PKMZeta, of learning and memory mechanisms in non-human primates.
Andrew Patera
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology, MD/PhD
B.S. Johns Hopkins University
Thesis Laboratory: Prem Premsrirut, MD, PhD; Department of Cell Biology
Research Interests & Experience: My previous research in materials chemistry led to my interest in working on fabrication of biomedical devices and exploring probe-target interactions for sensing. Additionally, my clinical interests are in radiology, immunology, and infectious disease.
Radhika Singh
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
B.S. University of Delhi
M.S. Johns Hopkins University
Thesis laboratory: David Christini, PhD, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Research Interests & Experience: My research experience is with pluripotent stem cells and differentiating them to different cell types as a method to study human development and disease-modeling.
Dzov (Zoe) Singman
Program: Neural and Behavioral Science, MD/PhD
B.S. Stevenson University
Thesis Laboratory: Jacquelyn Meyers, PhD; Department of Psychiatry
Research Interests & Experience: Eating disorder and substance use disorder comorbidity
Benjamin Tessler
benjamin.tessler@downstate.edu
Program: Biomedical Engineering
B.S. University of Florida
Thesis Laboratory: Steven Fox, PhD, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Research Interests & Experience: I have a wide range of interests from technology to neuroscience. My thesis focuses on the development of minimally invasive techniques for deep brain electrical stimulation. We have been utilizing in vivo animal models and computational models, blending together fields of neuroscience, electrical engineering, and physics.
Carlos Velez
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
Research Interests & Experience: Learning and Memory, diseases/drugs that affect learning and memory
Isaac Vingan
Program: Neural and Behavioral Science, MD/PhD
B.S. Binghamton University
Thesis Laboratory: Juan Marcos Alarcon, PhD; Department of Pathology
Research Interests & Experience: My project is focused on investigating the neuro-molecular changes that coincide with behavioral experiences in mice. Specifically, we are looking at the transcriptomic make up of the dorsal hippocampal network following the recall of a cognitively demanding behavioral paradigm known as active place avoidance. We plan to implement a variety of molecular techniques to interrogate the coincident transcriptional changes, such as, but not limited to: Bulk RNAseq, snRNAseq and Spatial Transcriptomics.
Andrew Wang
Program: Biomedical Engineering, MD/PhD
B.S. University of California, Berkeley
Thesis Laboratory: Jin Montclare, PhD; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, NYU
Research Interests & Experience: Biomaterials for drug delivery, sensing, molecular imaging; Cardiovascular health
Mia Yabut Wiese
mariamiacarmencita.wiese@downstate.edu
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology
B.S. Yale University
M.S. New York University
Thesis Laboratory: Joseph Scandura MD PhD, Heme-Onc at Weill-Cornell Medicine
Research Interests & Experience: Hematopoiesis, vascular, and stem cell biology
Post-Graduate MD/PhD
Charles Karrasch, PhD
charles.karrasch@downstate.edu
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology, MD/PhD
B.S. University of Nevada, Reno
Thesis Laboratory: John Danias, MD, PhD; Departments of Cell Biology and Ophthalmology
Research Interests & Experience: Extracellular matrix, retinal development, visual function, regenerative medicine.
Timothy Morello, PhD
Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.S. University of Rochester
Thesis Laboratory: Rena Orman PhD; Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Richard Kollmar, PhD; Department of Cell Biology and Mark Stewart, MD, PhD; Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neurology
Research Interests & Experience: The architecture of claustrum and related limbic cortical regions in Carollia perspicillata revealed by latexin and calcium-binding proteins
Stanley Soroka, PhD
Program: Molecular and Cellular Biology, MD/PhD
B.S. Union College
Thesis Laboratory: Laura Martello-Rooney, PhD; Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Research Interests & Experience: My research interests coming into graduate school were the molecular basis of disease and pharmacology. In the Martello-Rooney laboratory I am studying the feasibility of encapsulating chemotherapeutics in microparticles for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Recent Alumni
Zachary Olmstead, MD, PhD
Neurosurgery Resident at UCLA Health
Downstate Program: Medicine and Nanoscale Engineering from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, MD/PhD
B.S. University at Albany, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering
Thesis Laboratory: Janet Paluh, PhD; Department of Nanobioscience, SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Research Interests & Experience: I focused on establishing stem cell-based models of human embryology and nervous system formation in a dish and used these models to generate transplantable neuronal networks as therapies in animal models of cervical spinal cord injury.
David Havlicek, MD, PhD
Neurosurgery Resident at Ohio State
Downstate Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
Thesis Laboratory: Peter Bergold, PhD; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology
Research Interests & Experience: PhD Thesis: Moderate-to-severe closed head injury induces a chronic oligodendrocytic tauopathy
Craig Kelley, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Columbia University
Downstate Program: Biomedical Engineering
B.S. Boston University
Thesis Laboratory: Bill Lytton, MD; Department of Physiology & Pharmacology
Research Interests & Experience: I performed my doctoral research at SUNY Downstate under the direction of Prof. William Lytton and defended my PhD thesis "Multiscale computer modeling of brain excitability: applications to spreading depression and neuronal impedance" in June 2023. I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University, where I am studying the neural mechanisms of attention and developing methods to enhance it.
Natasha Bobrowski-Khoury, PhD
Student Profile SUNY Downstate’s Research Pulse Student Profile
Neurology Research Fellow at Mass General Brigham
Downstate Program: Neural and Behavioral Sciences
B.Sc. SUNY Binghamton University
M.Sc. University College of London
Thesis Laboratory: Edward Quadros, PhD; Department of Medicine
Research Interest & Experience: Keywords: Autism, Neurodevelopment, Folate Deficiency, Neuroimmunology
My thesis work explores the role of folate receptor alpha autoimmunity in the inheritance of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorders.