Molecular Biology | Research Interests

Name	Email	PhD Program
Liu, Qingyun EMAIL PUBLICATIONS	PHD PROGRAM Genetics & Molecular Biology RESEARCH INTEREST Bacteriology, Bioinformatics, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Microscopy/Imaging, Molecular Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Pathogenesis & Infection	Traditionally, basic science has sought to enter the translational pipeline through what can be referred to as “Bottom-Up” science, that is, studies that start with a hypothesis in the lab and aim to develop clinical relevance of the findings. In some cases, notably in conventional antibiotic development, this has worked well – but it assumes one-size fits all solutions that are only as good as our assumptions about the biology of many infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. By contrast, my research focuses on a “Top-Down” approach, leveraging the power of bacterial population genomics to identify bacterial processes important for Mtb success in people and to then employ cutting-edge experimental techniques to mechanistically dissect these processes with the goal of leveraging them using new translational tools. In my work to date, I have applied this “Top-Down” strategy to define bacterial determinants of treatment outcomes and transmission success, as evident in first-author/corresponding author publications in prestigious journals such as Science, Nature Ecology Evolution, Cell Host Microbe, Science Advances, Genome Biology, PNAS, etc. My work combines expertise in evolutionary biology and bacterial genomics, cutting-edge bacterial genetics and high-throughput experimental phenotyping. In my own lab, I will use these tools to (1) define the biological mechanisms that enable Mtb to survive antibiotic treatment; (2) identify bacterial determinants of TB transmission success; and (3) elucidate the evolutionary mechanisms underlying the emergence of new bacterial pathogens.
Vetreno, Ryan EMAIL PUBLICATIONS	PHD PROGRAM Neuroscience, Pharmacology RESEARCH INTEREST Addiction/Alcohol Research, Aging/Alzheimer's, Behavior, Biochemistry, Brain Development, Developmental Biology, Disease, Epigenetics & Chromatin Biology, Immunology, Microbiome, Molecular Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Neurobiology, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Neuropharmacology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Regenerative Medicine	My research interests involve investigation of proinflammatory neuroimmune and epigenetic mechanisms in animal models of developmental neurobiology and neurodegeneration, including (1) alcohol pharmacology, (2) alcohol responsivity and tolerance, (3) adolescent neurodevelopment, (4) cholinergic system and neurocircuitry, (5) microglial function, and (6) Alzheimer’s disease. A major focus of the laboratory is elucidation of neuroimmune and epigenetic mechanisms underlying adolescent binge alcohol-induced disruption of basal forebrain cholinergic neurocircuitry in adulthood. A second major focus of the laboratory is investigation of lasting adolescent binge drinking-induced neuroimmune priming as a novel etiological factor contributing to the onset and progression of basal forebrain neuropathology in Alzheimer’s disease. Our laboratory combines ex vivo and in vivo rodent models of alcohol abuse and Alzheimer’s disease with innovative molecular techniques.
Duprey, Kelsey EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biology	“I am interested in DNA repair and replication, cell cycle and chromosome segregation, epigenetics, and developmental biology. I am looking to work with Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish, or cell cultures.”
Bingham, Johnna EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Biochemistry, Drug Discovery, Molecular Biology	“I’m interested in doing research at the intersection of where chemistry and biology meet and using discovery to improve the lives and health of others.”
Muron, Savannah EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Genetics, Molecular Biology, Translational Medicine	“I am interested in the development and study of gene therapies and gene-editing technologies. I am most interested in studying potential effects of gene therapy in genetic diseases such as CF or in their technological development. I am also interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which gene editing technologies work and how they can be utilized to further their development and use in creating models and treating disease.”
Simmons, Jake EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology	“I find myself loving molecular biology techniques, but I always come back to asking how the chemistry works. For this reason, I maintain a great openness in where I land in my rotations, however, I am confident any sort of mechanistic approach will fill my curiosity. Anywhere between protein and cells, interests me. Biochemistry or molecular biology is where I see myself thriving. Particularly, I recently developed an interest in Cryo-EM, however, I’ll admit I have never researched using it.”
Dawoud, Alyaa EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Cancer Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology	“I am interested in studying cancer immunotherapy as well as the molecular mechanism in cancer, particularly brain cancer.”
Guerra, Paolo EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology	“I enjoy understanding the cell’s regulation of post translational modification of proteins. Understanding how this mechanism can change a cell’s function and even a cell’s fate is fascinating. It’s also a great area to research as it provides a great deal of therapeutic targets for disease.”
Ponek, Ronni EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Cancer Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology	“Overall, I am interested in immunology in a more basic science context. Under this umbrella I am curious about looking at how cancer forms and changes and am also very excited about the prospect of branching into autoimmune disease research.”
Bridges, Kaitlin EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Biochemistry, Computational Biology, Molecular Biology	“I am interested in a Biochemistry and molecular biology-focused research group, mostly focusing on RNA. Interested in research that will require performing both wet-lab tasks as well as some computational analysis. Highly interested in a Biochemistry PhD. with a BCB certificate.”

Research Interest: Molecular Biology