Current Trainees

My research focuses on understanding and mimicking cellular communication through ion channels.

Fun Fact: I have run two half marathons.

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: Baker

Undergrad Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: Clemmer

Undergrad Institution: Baylor University

My research focuses on studying the role of electrostatic interactions during alphavirus nucleocapsid assembly.

Fun Fact: I played flute for 9 years.

Degree Program: Biochemistry

Lab: Mukhopadhyay

Undergrad Institution: WVU

My research focuses on the role of ADARs (Adenosine Deaminases that Act on RNA) and Adenosine-to-Inosine RNA editing in the germline of C. elegans.

Fun Fact: I love cooking and baking.

Degree Program: Biology

Lab: Hundley

Undergrad Institution: Illinois Wesleyan University

My research focuses on developing effective strategies to create functional molecules and materials based on phosphate recognition.

Fun Fact: I play the flute in the Southern Indiana Wind Ensemble.

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: Flood

Undergrad Institution: Kalamazoo College

My research focuses on the intersection of metabolism and cell wall synthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Fun Fact: I have climbed Mt. Fuji and have danced for 20+ years.

Degree Program: Microbiology

Lab: Winkler

Undergrad Institution: Bucknell University

My research focuses on the synthesis of a small molecule library to aid in computational modeling for drug design.

Fun Fact: I love dogs.

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: VanNieuwenhze

Undergrad Institution: University of Southern Indiana

My research focuses on polyploid contributions to genome instability.

Fun Fact: I have been running track for 10 years and now do marathons.

Degree Program: Cell, Molecular, and Cancer Biology

Lab: Walczak

Undergrad Institution: Penn State

My research focuses on simulations of light-matter interactions with bio-inspired, self-assembled nanostructures and ultrafast spectroscopy.

Fun Fact: Before attending grad school, I worked as a choreographer/instructor at a competitive dance studio in Houston, TX (Masters the Upper Level) and set pieces for many professional dance companies/teams around the nation.

Degree Program: Physics (Biophysics track)

Lab: Dragnea

Undergraduate Institution: Houston Baptist University

My research focuses on investigating metallochaperones in s. aureus.

Fun Fact: I am a nephew of both Michael Jordan and J. Cole.

Degree Program: Biochemistry

Lab: Giedroc

Undergrad Institution: Manchester University

My research focuses on automated solution phase synthesis.

Fun Fact: I'm a proud cat mom.

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: Pohl

Undergrad Institution: Lycoming College

My research focuses on cell signaling mechanisms in the unicellular protozoan Capsaspora owczarzaki and its link to the parasitic disease schistosomiasis.

Fun Fact: I love rock hounding and lapidary.

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: Gerdt

Undergrad Institution: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

My research focuses on the synthesis of biologically relevant molecules.

Fun Fact: I've played ice hockey since I was 4 years old.

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: VanNieuwenhze

Undergrad Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison

My research focuses on protein interactions, structure-function, and dynamics necessary for cell wall synthesis in the pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Fun Fact: I had a dislocated clavicle for 5 months that was repositioned using a cadaver ligament. I have yet to break a bone though.

Degree Program: Microbiology

Lab: Winkler

Undergrad Institution: Idaho State University

My research focuses on developing and understanding cancer therapeutics that specifically target diseased tissue inhibiting one-carbon metabolism, and more specifically purine synthesis pathway, within the cell.

Fun Fact: I am a big fan of Jurassic Park.

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: Dann

Undergrad Institution: Gannon University

My research focuses on exploring metal-dependent responses in bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii and discover their role regarding survival within vertebrate hosts.

Fun Fact: I like playing guitar and drawing.

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: Giedroc

Undergrad Institution: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

My research focuses on creating optical traps inside microfluidic devices and using them for bio-particle trapping, sorting, and directing. We hypothesize that we can create these optical traps using extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) through subwavelength apertures in a metal film.

Fun Fact: I love to cook for my wife and daughter. It's like chemistry I can eat. I grew up watching cooking shows that focus on the science behind food and cooking. So if this Ph.D. doesn't work out, look for me on Iron Chef.

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: Jacobson

Undergrad Institution: Brigham Young University

My research focuses on the development of anticancer metallodrugs capable of spatiotemporally controlled therapeutic radical generation. Piggybacking triggerable ligand-based radical generation with metal-based antitumor reactivity has the potential to give metallodrugs with higher potency that can be administered at lower doses than those currently used in the clinic."

Fun Fact: I have three pet rats, two of which are named after a pair of Nobel prize-winning organic chemists famous for exploring cycloaddition reactions.  Can you guess who?

Degree Program: Inorganic Chemistry

Lab: Zaleski

Undergraduate Institution: Duquesne University

My research focuses on understading the molecular basis for membrane protein misfolding diseases.

Fun Fact: As an undergrad I worked for 2 competing coffee shops.

Degree Program: Chemical Biology

Lab: Schlebach

Undergrad Institution: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

My research focuses on understanding the complex dynamics between molecular motors and how their proper coordination plays into microtubule instability and spindle organization.

Fun Fact: I love music and can play 5 instruments.

Degree Program: Genome, Cell and Developmental Biology

Lab: Walczak

Undergrad Institution: Northwest Missouri State University

My research focuses on engineering and characterizing artificial metalloenzymes.

Fun Fact: I've played French Horn for over 10 years.

Degree Program: Chemistry

Lab: Lewis

Undergrad Institution: University of Virginia