2023-2024 MSTP Student Directory

A-B   C-D   E-F   G-H   I-J   K-L   M-N   O-P   Q-R   S-T   U-V   W-X   Y-Z

 

Portrait of MSTP student Michael Aiduk

Aiduk, Michael/GS3
Email: michael.aiduk@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Syracuse University
Research Interests: Pediatric cancer, CRISPR technologies, Genetics
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Kris Wood, PhD

Emily Alway

Alway, Emily/GS3
Email:
 emily.alway@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Johns Hopkins
Research Interests: The role of environmental factors in neuropsychiatric illness progression
PhD Department/Program: Neurobiology
Mentor: Diego Bohorquez, PhD

Preston Anderson

Anderson, Preston/GS4
Email:
 preston.anderson@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Iowa
Research Interests: Investigating Airway Stem Cell Biology and Progression of Lung Cancer
PhD Department/Program: Biochemistry
Mentor: Sudarshan K Rajagopal, MD, PhD

Christopher Bassil

Bassil, Christopher/MS4
Email: 
christopher.bassil@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Signaling pathways and gene expression, cancer biology
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Kris Wood, PhD

Mary Makenzie Beaman

Beaman, Mary Makenzie/GS4
Emailmary.beaman@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Vanderbilt University
Research Interests: Cancer genetics and precision medicine
PhD Department/Program: University Program in Genetics and Genomics
Mentor: Greg Crawford 

Christopher Behrer

Behrer, Christopher/GS5
Email: christopher.behrer@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Harvard University
Research Interests: Health Policy, economics, and global health, specifically public, labor and development economics applications to health care markets
PhD Department/Program: Sanford School of Public Policy
Mentor: Manoj Mohanan, PhD

Minu Bidzimou

Bidzimou, Minu/GS4
Email: minutshyeto.bidzimou@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Grinnell College
Research Interests: Therapeutic discovery and development
PhD Department/Program: Cell Biology
Mentor: Andrew Landstrom, MD, PhD

Jane Blackmer

Blackmer, Jane/GS2
Email: jane.blackmer@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Tufts University
Research Interests: Genome Instability, Molecular Genetics and Cancer
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Don Fox, PhD

Headshot of Erin Brown smiling at camera wearing small stud earrings

Brown, Erin/MS1
Email: erin.e.brown@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Infectious disease, immunology, host-pathogen interactions, vaccinology
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Danielle Burner

Burner, Danielle/GS2
Email: danielle.burner@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of California - San Diego
Research Interests: Urology, oncology and regenerative medicine
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Micha Luftig, PhD

Portrait of MSTP student Reuben Cano

Cano, Reuben Ryan/GS1
Email: reubenryan.cano@duke.edu
Alma Mater: The University of Utah
Research Interests: Immunology, Functional Genomics
PhD Department/Program:
Mentor: 

 

Steven Castellano

Castellano, Steven/LOA
Email: 
steven.castellano@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Columbia University
Research Interests: Neuroscience and Biophysics
PhD Department/Program: External PhD, NIH Oxford/Cambridge Scholars Program

Christian Cerda-Smith

​Cerda-Smith, Christian/MS4
Email: christian.cerda.smith@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Miami University
Research Interests: Chemical biology, Biomedical engineering
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Kris Wood, PhD

Lindsey Chew

Chew, Lindsey/GS4
Email: lindsey.chew@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Arizona
Research Interests: Visual neuroscience and the molecular basis of ophthalmological conditions that cause visual impairment
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: Catherine Bowes-Rickman, PhD

Headshot of Nishma Chakraborty wearing marroon scoop neck shirt, hoop earrings, with curly hair half up

Chakraborty, Nishma/MS1
Email: nishma.chakraborty@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of California - Los Angeles
Research Interests: Cancer cell metabolism and signaling pathways in cancer
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Headshot of David Chung wearing glasses and collared shirt

Chung, David/MS1
Email: david.chung@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of California - Los Angeles
Research Interests: Computational and Systems Neuroscience
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Trisha Dalapati

Dalapati, Trisha/GS3
Email: trisha.dalapati@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Georgia
Research Interests: Infectious diseases and immunology, maternal-fetal interactions
PhD Department/Program: Molecular genetics and Microbiology
Mentor: Dennis Ko, MD, PhD

Jahrane Dale

Dale, Jahrane/GS4
Email: jahrane.dale@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Columbia University
Research Interests: Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience
PhD Department/Program: Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Warren Grill, PhD

Headshot of Vincent D'Annibale looking directly at camera wearing checkered shirt in front of white backdrop

D'Anniballe, Vincent/MS2
Email: vincent.danniballe@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Xavier University
Research Interests: Initiation and modulation of adaptive immune responses
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Daniela De Albuquerque

De Albuquerque, Daniela /GS5
Email: daniela.de.albuquerque@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Computational Neuroscience/Neuroengineering, Machine learning applications to imaging, bioinformatics and genomics
PhD Department/Program: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mentor: John Pearson, PhD

Christopher Delaney

Delaney, Christopher /GS5
Email: christopher.delaney@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Chicago
Research Interests: Molecular Genetics and Cancer Biology
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Kris Wood, PhD

Carolyn Diaz

Diaz, Carolyn/MS4
Email: carolyn.diaz@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Columbia University
Research Interests: Neurobiology
PhD Department/Program: Neurobiology
Mentor: Kevin Franks, PhD

Devon DiPalma

DiPalma, Devon/GS4
Email: devon.dipalma@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Immunology and Cell Biology
PhD Department/Program: Integrative Immunobiology
Mentor: Mari Shinohara, PhD

Shannon Eriksson

Eriksson, Shannon/MS4
Email: shannon.eriksson@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Davidson College
Research Interests: Physical chemistry with applications to imaging techniques
PhD Department/Program: Chemistry
Mentor: Warren S. Warren, PhD

John (Jack) Finlay

Finlay, John (Jack)/GS3
Email: john.finlay@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Princeton University
Research Interests: Neural Stem Cell Biology and Cancer Biology
PhD Department/Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Mentor: Bradley Goldstein, MD, PhD

Nimesha Gerlus

Gerlus, Nimesha/GS3
Email:
 nimesha.gerlus@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Brown University
Research Interests: Cognitive and systems neuroscience
PhD Department/Program: Psychology and Neuroscience
Mentor: Kevin LaBar, PhD

Rebecca Gibson

Gibson, Rebecca/MS4
Email: 
rebecca.a.gibson@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Columbia University
Research Interests: Environmental Health, Toxicology, Early Childhood Development
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Mentor: Priya Kishnani, MD

Headshot of Elena Haarer smiling at camera

Haarer, Elena/MS1
Email: elena.haarer@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Connecticut
Research Interests: Targeted therapy, epigenetics, and genomic instability in cancer
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Portrait of MSTP student Helen Heo

Heo, Helen/GS1
Email: helen.heo@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Research Interests: Neurobiology, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
PhD Department/Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Mentor: Cagla Eroglu, PhD

Jesse Herche

Herche, Jesse/GS4
Email: jesse.herche@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of the Pacific
Research Interests: Neural Sound Processing
PhD Department/Program: Neurobiology
Mentor: Jennifer Groh, PhD

Jonathon Himes

​Himes, Jonathon/MS4
Email: 
jon.himes@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Davidson College
Research Interests: Infectious Diseases, Vaccine Design
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: David Kirsch, MD, PhD

Ouwen Huang

Huang, Ouwen/GS6
Email: 
Ouwen.huang@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Health informatics, machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing
PhD Department/Program: Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Mark L Palmeri, MD, PhD

Dalton Hughes

Hughes, Dalton/MS4
Email: dalton.hughes@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Maryland
Research Interests: Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering
PhD Department/Program: Neurobiology
Mentor: Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD

Sydney Jeffs

Jeffs, Sydney/GS3
Email:
 sydney.jeffs@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Biomedical Engineering, Immunology and Cell Biology
PhD Department/Program: Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Tatiana Segura, PhD

headshot of Anish Karpurapu looking at camera in front of white backdrop

Karpurapu, Anish/MS2
Email: anish.karpurapu@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Biomedical engineering, data science.
PhD Department/Program:  
Mentor: 

Shane Killarney

Killarney, Shane/GS5
Email: shane.killarney@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Nevada- Las Vegas
Research Interests: Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Kris Wood, PhD

Stephen Kirchner

​Kirchner, Stephen/MS4
Email: stephen.kirchner@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Cancer Biology and Molecular Genetics
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Mentor: Jennifer Zhang, PhD and Jorn Coers, PhD

Headshot of David Labib smiling at camera in front of white backdrop

Labib, David/MS2
Email: david.labib@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Cornell University
Research Interests: Neurobiology; developmental and cell biology; neuro-immune interactions
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Headshot of Austin Lai smiling at camera in front of white backdrop

Lai, Austin/MS2
Email: austin.lai@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Emory University
Research Interests: Genetics and mechanisms of rare diseases, biotechnology development
PhD Department/Program: 

Headshot of Alexis LaRosa in front of white background

LaRosa, Alexis/MS1
Email: alexis.larosa@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Tulane University
Research Interests: Genomic instability, molecular genetics, repetitive and non-coding sequences
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Portrait of MSTP student Travis Larson

Larson, Travis/GS1
Email: travis.larson@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Iowa
Research Interests: Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience
PhD Department/Program:
Mentor: 

headshot of Elijah Lawrence smiling at camera in front of white backdrop

Lawrence, Elijah/MS2
Email: elijah.lawrence@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of California - San Diego
Research Interests: Hypoxia, cancer, and stem cell biology
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Headshot of Lauren Lim smiling at camera in front of white backdrop

Lim, Lauren/MS2
Email: lauren.lim@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Interests: Cryo-EM, cryo-ET, x-ray crystallography, gut microbiome, intrinsically disordered proteins
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Winston Liu

Liu, Winston/MS4
Email: winston.w.liu@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Maryland
Research Interests: Biomedical Engineering, Imaging, Computational Biology
PhD Department/Program: Neurobiology
Mentor: Diego Bohorquez, PhD

Austin Maduka

Maduka, Austin /GS5
Email: austin.maduka@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Maryland
Research Interests: Control of the mammalian oxidative stress response through ubiquitin signaling
PhD Department/Program: University Program in Genetics and Genomics
Mentor: Gustavo Silva, PhD

Headshot of Neha Majety with hear brown hair in front of her shoulders

Majety, Neha/MS1
Email: neha.majety@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Immunology, autoimmunity, infectious disease
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Colleen McClean

McClean, Colleen/MS4
Email: colleen.mcclean@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of California at Berkeley
Research Interests: Role of Cholesterol Efflux blockade in mycobacterial infection in vivo
PhD Department/Program: Integrative Immunobiology
Mentor: David Tobin, PhD

Jonathan Messerschmidt

Messerschmidt, Jonathan/GS2
Email: jonathan.messerschmidt@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Boston University
Research Interests: Immunology of Cancer Development
PhD Department/Program: Integrative Immunobiology
Mentor: Mari Shinohara, PhD

Aditya Mohan

Mohan, Aditya/GS2
Email: aditya.mohan@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Cancer Immunotherapy, CAR-T Cells, Synthetic Biology, Molecular Biology
PhD Department/Program: Integrative Immunobiology
Mentor:

Margaret Morash

Morash, Margaret/GS4
Email: margaret.morash@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Rutgers University
Research Interests: Epigenetics and gene regulation
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Mentor: John Rawls, PhD

Headshot of Iman Mosely with hair pulled back in ponytail and large round earrings

Mosley, Iman/MS1
Email: iman.mosley@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Lehigh University
Research Interests: Pediatric neurobiology, Pediatric brain-heart interactions and disorders, Therapeutic discovery and development
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Portrait of MSTP student Patrick Mulcahey

Mulcahey, Patrick/GS1
Email: patrick.mulcahey@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Georgetown University
Research Interests: Systems Neuroscience, Neuromodulation, Cognition and Affection
PhD Department/Program:
Mentor: 

Danielle Rosenthal

Nettere (Rosenthal), Danielle/GS4
Email: danielle.rosenthal@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Washington and Lee University
Research Interests: Immunology and Infectious Disease
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Mentor: Guido Ferrari, MD

Lyra Olson

Olson, Lyra/LOA
Email: lyra.olson@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Princeton University
Research Interests: Understanding metabolic changes in obesity and diabetes
PhD Department/Program: Pharmacology
Mentor: Bruce Sullenger, PhD

Portrait of MSTP student Aine O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan, Aine/GS1
Email: aine.osullivan@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cells and Biomaterials, Musculoskeletal Disease and Injury
PhD Department/Program: Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Ashutosh Chilkoti, PhD

Portrait of MSTP student Seneca Oxendine

Oxendine, Seneca/GS1
Email: seneca.oxendine@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Yale University
Research Interests: Neuroimmunology, Glial Biology, Neurodevelopment
PhD Department/Program: Psychology and Neuroscience
Mentor: Staci Bilbo, PhD

Lauren Parker

Parker, Lauren/GS2
Email: lauren.parker@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Genetics and Epigenetics, Cardiac Development, Inherited Cardiac Disease
PhD Department/Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Mentor: Ravi Karra, MD

Alejandra Patino

Patino, Alejandra/GS3
Email:
 alejandra.patino@duke.edu
Alma Mater: New York University
Research Interests: Combining molecular and physiological approaches to studying neuropsychiatric disorders
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Joshua Snyder, PhD

Brianna Petrone

Petrone, Brianna/MS4
Email: brianna.petrone@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research Interests: Host-pathogen interactions, immunology, and systems biology
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Mentor: Lawrence David, PhD

Rachael Putman

Putman, Rachael/GS2
Email:
 rachael.putman@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Yale University
Research Interests: Biomedical engineering, nanoparticles, gene editing, fetal therapies, assisted reproductive therapies, and tissue engineering/regenerative medicine
PhD Department/Program: Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Ashutosh Chilkoti, PhD

Jude Raj

Raj, Jude/GS4
Email: jude.raj@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Research Interests: Immunology
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Kris Wood, PhD

MSTP Student Vishwas Rao in front of grey backdrop

Rao, Vishwas/GS3
Email: vishwas.rao@duke.edu
Alma Mater: North Carolina State University
Research Interests: Chemical biology and infectious diseases
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Mentor: Nicholas Heaton, PhD

Jacob Scherba

Scherba, Jacob/GS4
Email: jacob.scherba@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Harvard University
Research Interests: Designing biologically inspired materials and devices to instruct tissue behavior, particularly in modulating stem cell differentiation and stimulating angiogenesis
PhD Department/Program: Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Nenad Bursac, PhD

Andreas Seas

Seas, Andreas/GS5
Email: andreas.seas@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Maryland
Research Interests: Biomedical engineering and data science with applications in surgery. This includes use of engineering techniques to answer basic questions in disease pathology, as well as scale-up of lab discoveries for human applications
PhD Department/Program:
Mentor: 
Cameron McIntyre, PhD

Gabrielle Sejourne

Sejourne, Gabrielle/GS3
Email: gabrielle.sejourne@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Harvard University
Research Interests: Genetics and developmental biology
PhD Department/Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Mentor: Cagla Eroglu, PhD

Harvey Shi

Shi, Harvey/GS2
Email:
 harvey.shi@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Biomedical engineering, machine learning, computational medicine, and data science
PhD Department/Program: Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Joseph Izatt, PhD

Laura Stilwell

Stilwell, Laura/GS5
Email:
 laura.stilwell@duke.edu 
Alma Mater: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research Interests: Public policy and economics related to healthcare delivery and health disparities with a particular interest in child health and development, mental illness and maternal health
PhD Department/Program: Sanford School of Public Policy
Mentor: Manoj Mohanan, PhD

Headshot of Chris Stignham smiling at camera in front of grey backdrop wearing suit with silver tie

Stringham, Christopher/GS1
Email: christopher.stringham@duke.edu
Alma Mater: The University of Utah
Research Interests: Viral Immunology, Molecular Pathogenesis, Immunotherapy, Vaccinology, Preclinical Development
PhD Department/Program: Immunology
Mentor: Bart Haynes, MD

Chang Su

Su, Chang/GS6
Email: chang.su@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Davidson College
Research Interests: Cancer immunotherapy
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: David Kirsch, MD, PhD

Skye Tracey

Tracey, Skye/GS3
Email:
 skye.tracey@duke.edu
Alma Mater:  Duke University
Research Interests: Neurobiology
PhD Department/Program: Integrative Immunobiology
Mentor: Ashley Moseman, PhD

Headshot of Ashley Truong smiling at camera in front of white backdrop

Truong, Ashley/GS2
Email: ashley.truong@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Rhodes College
Research Interests: Elucidating the Transcriptional Brakes on Adipocyte Thermogenesis
PhD Department/Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Mentor: Rana Gupta, PhD

Headshot of Violet Tu smiling at camera in front of white backdrop

Tu, Violet/MS2
Email: 
violet.tu@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Pennsylvania
Research Interests: Cancer immunology, metabolism, immunotherapy development
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Portrait of MSTP student Sunag Udupa

Udupa, Sunag/GS1
Email: sunag.udupa@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Molecular Biology, Biochemistry
PhD Department/Program:
Mentor:

Lucas Wachsmuth

Wachsmuth, Lucas/GS5
Email: lucas.wachsmuth@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Georgia
Research Interests: Immunology, tumor immunology, transplant tolerance
PhD Department/Program: Pathology
Mentor: Peter E Fecci, MD, PhD

Margaret Weber

Weber, Margaret/GS2
Email:
 margaret.c.weber@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Middlebury College
Research Interests: Cell and cancer biology
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Trudy Oliver, PhD

Peter Weng

​Weng, Peter/GS6
Email: peter.weng@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University Of Maryland
Research Interests: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
PhD Department/Program: Neurobiology
Mentor: Diego Bohorquez, PhD

Portrait of MSTP student Ashley Williams

Williams, Ashley/GS1
Email: ashley.williams080@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Georgia Southern University
Research Interests: Gene Regulation, Epigenetic Regulation, Chromatin Biology, Neuroepigenetics, Regulatory RNAs, Neurodevelopmental/Neuropsychiatric Disorders
PhD Department/Program:
Mentor:

Headshot of Diane Zhang smiling wearing black blazer over white shirt in front of white background

Zhang, Diane/MS1
Email: diane.zhang@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research Interests: Computational biology, single-cell genomics, cancer, spatial transcriptomics
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Marek Zorawski

Zorawski, Marek/GS4
Email: marek.zorawski@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Pomona College
Research Interests: Chemical biology; RNA and carbohydrate biochemistry
PhD Department/Program: Biochemistry
Mentor: Amanda Hargrove, PhD