2024-2025 MSTP Student Directory

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Portrait of MSTP student Michael Aiduk

Aiduk, Michael/GS4
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/GS4
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/GS5
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

Mary Makenzie Beaman

Beaman, Mary Makenzie/MS4
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/GS6
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/GS5
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/GS3
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/MS2
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/GS3
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: Micah Luftig, PhD

Portrait of MSTP student Reuben Cano

Cano, Reuben Ryan/GS2
Email: reubenryan.cano@duke.edu
Alma Mater: The University of Utah
Research Interests: Immunology, Functional Genomics
PhD Department/Program: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Jatin Roper, MD

 

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

Headshot of Reed Chen smiling at camera in front of grey backdrop wearing silver tie

Chen, Reed/MS1
Email:
reed.chen@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: 
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Headshot of Reid Chen smiling at camera in front of white backdrop wearing purple tie

​Chen, Reid/MS1
Email: reid.chen@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: 
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Lindsey Chew

Chew, Lindsey/GS5
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: Molecular Cancer Biology
Mentor: Catherine Bowes-Rickman, PhD

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

Chakraborty, Nishma/MS2
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/MS2
Email: david.chung@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of California - Los Angeles
Research Interests: Computational and Systems Neuroscience
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Headshot of Kayla Corredera-Wells smiling at camera with long brown straight hair falling in front of shoulders

Corredera-Wells, Kayla/MS1
Email: kayla.corredera-wells@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: 
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Trisha Dalapati

Dalapati, Trisha/GS4
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/GS5
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/GS1
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 /GS6
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 /GS6
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

Devon DiPalma

DiPalma, Devon/GS5
Email: devon.dipalma@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Immunology and Cell Biology
PhD Department/Program: Integrative Immunobiology
Mentor: Mari Shinohara, PhD

Headshot of Jack Finlay smiling at camera, short blonde hair, wearing charcoal suit with 2 toned blue striped tie, in front of blurred stairs in the background

Finlay, John (Jack)/MS4
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

Headshot of William Frye smiling at camera in front of grey backdrop wearing blue checked tie and dark grey suit

Frye, William/MS1
Email: william.frye@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Louisville
Research Interests: 
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Nimesha Gerlus

Gerlus, Nimesha/GS4
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

Headshot of Casey Gilles smiling at camera in front of grey backdrop wearing black suit and navy blue tie

Gilles, Casey/MS1
Email:
casey.gilles@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of California - Los Angeles
Research Interests: Cellular/molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease pathophysiology
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Headshot of Abra Granger smiling at camera in front of white backdrop with dark hair falling in front of shoulders over cream sweatshirt

Granger, Abra/MS1
Email:
abra.granger@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Richmond
Research Interests: 
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Headshot of Elena Haarer smiling at camera

Haarer, Elena/MS2
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/GS2
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/MS4
Email: jesse.herche@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of the Pacific
Research Interests: Neural Sound Processing
PhD Department/Program: Neurobiology
Mentor: Jennifer Groh, PhD

Ouwen Huang

Huang, Ouwen/LOA
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

Sydney Jeffs

Jeffs, Sydney/GS4
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/GS1
Email: anish.karpurapu@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Duke University
Research Interests: Biomedical engineering, data science.
PhD Department/Program:  
Mentor: 

Shane Killarney

Killarney, Shane/MS4
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

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

Labib, David/GS1
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/GS1
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/MS2
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/GS2
Email: travis.larson@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Iowa
Research Interests: Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience
PhD Department/Program: Neurobiology
Mentor: Marty Woldorff, PhD

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

Lawrence, Elijah/GS1
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 Matthew Li smiling at camera, in front of blue backdrop, long black curly hair haloing head, wearing black framed glasses, red shirt and silver tie with black suit

Li, Matthew/MS1
Email: matthew.j.li@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Georgia
Research Interests: 
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

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

Lim, Lauren/GS1
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: 

Austin Maduka

Maduka, Austin /MS2
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/MS2
Email: neha.majety@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Immunology, autoimmunity, infectious disease
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Jonathan Messerschmidt

Messerschmidt, Jonathan/GS3
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/GS3
Email: aditya.mohan@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Cancer Immunotherapy, CAR-T Cells, Synthetic Biology, Molecular Biology
PhD Department/Program: Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Anoop Patel, MD

Margaret Morash

Morash, Margaret/GS5
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/MS2
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/GS2
Email: patrick.mulcahey@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Georgetown University
Research Interests: Systems Neuroscience, Neuromodulation, Cognition and Affection
PhD Department/Program: Neurobiology
Mentor: Josh Huang, PhD

Danielle Rosenthal

Nettere (Rosenthal), Danielle/MS4
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/MS4
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/GS2
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/GS2
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/GS3
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/GS4
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

Rachael Putman

Putman, Rachael/GS3
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/GS5
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/GS4
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

Headshot of Danyal Raza with close mouthed smile at camera, in front of white wall, wearing thin-rimmed glasses, blue shirt, black tie and black suit

​Raza, Danyal/MS1
Email: danyal.raza@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Research Interests: 
PhD Department/Program: 
Mentor: 

Andreas Seas

Seas, Andreas/GS6
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/GS4
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/GS3
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: Roarke Horstmeyer, PhD

Laura Stilwell

Stilwell, Laura/MS4
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/GS2
Email: christopher.stringham@duke.edu
Alma Mater: The University of Utah
Research Interests: Viral Immunology, Molecular Pathogenesis, Immunotherapy, Vaccinology, Preclinical Development
PhD Department/Program: Integrative Immunobiology
Mentor: Bart Haynes, MD

Chang Su

Su, Chang/MS4
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/GS4
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/GS3
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/GS1
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/GS2
Email: sunag.udupa@duke.edu
Alma Mater: Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Molecular Biology, Biochemistry
PhD Department/Program: Biochemistry
Mentor: Robert Lefkowitz, MD

Lucas Wachsmuth

Wachsmuth, Lucas/MS4
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

John Wang closed-mouth smiling at camera in front of cream backdrop wearing blue shirt and dark coloured tie

Wang, John/GS1
Email: john.s.wang@duke.edu
Alma Mater: University of California - Berkeley
Research Interests: Targeting tumor immunogenicity with new therapies
PhD Department/Program: University Program in Genetics and Genomics
Mentor: Zachary Hartman, PhD

Margaret Weber

Weber, Margaret/GS3
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/MS4
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/GS2
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: University Program in Genetics and Genomics
Mentor: Yarui Diao, PhD

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

Zhang, Diane/MS2
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/GS5
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