PhD Faculty Trainer List

The following list of IBS PhD training faculty is subject to change

Last First Title Research Interests Inst.
Bethea John PhD Neuroimmune mechanisms of CNS injury and disease, the role of TNFalpha in spinal cord injury,  translation of  discovery into clinical application. GW
Bollard Catherine MD Development of novel cell therapeutics for cancer and infection CNHS
Bosque-Pardos Alberto PhD, MBA HIV cure research, strategies to enhance immune effector functions and eradicate latent HIV infection GW
Bukrinsky Michael MD, PhD Molecular pathogenesis of HIV-associated metabolic diseases GW
Chiappinelli Katherine PhD Epigenetic regulation of immune signaling in cancer, specifically focusing on noncoding regions of the genome and the tumor cell immune response GW
Chung Inhee PhD Biophysical and biomechanical mechanisms of cancer metastasis and cancer dormancy, including  single-molecule tracking and super-resolution microscopy GW
Colonnese Matthew PhD Cellular and circuit mechanisms essential for plasticity in the developing brain GW
Corbin Joshua PhD Genetic and cellular basis for development of mammalian amygdala [See video] CNHS
Cruz Russell MD, PhD Development of immune based therapies for cancer and opportunistic infections for patients with various degrees of immune deficiency GW
Fabbri Muller MD, PhD Non-coding RNAs in exosomes and other extracellular vesicles and their role in cancer biology and therapy CNHS
Fernandes Rohan PhD Immunoengineering approaches to treat cancer and HIV;  nanoimmunotherapies and  cell-based immunotherapies GW
Hashimoto-Torii Kazue PhD Environmental factors/pharmacological agents in fetal brain malformations related to mental illnesses in adulthood CNHS
Haydar Dalia PhD Investigating novel designs, additional genetic modifications, or combination therapies that will improve CAR T cells antitumor effects in pediatric brain tumors CNH
Haydar Tarik PhD Cellular, molecular and behavioral analysis of forebrain development and intellectual disabilities using mouse models and human induced pluripotent stem cells CNHS
Hsiao Katie Kuangofu PhD Genomic-scale and circuit-level analysis of developmental disorders. In vivo neural activity recordings from synaptic inputs and output of targeted celltypes to decode mechanisms of learning and plasticity [lab website] CNH
Hsieh Michael  MD, PhD Anti-pathogenic inflammation induced by bacteria such as uropathogenic E. coli, and chronic inflammation mediated carcinogenesis studied using models of nitrosamine and Schistosoma haematobium exposure CNHS
Hu Yanfen PhD BRCA1 in breast and ovarian cancers, including the  mechanism of BRCA1 as a tumor suppressor, BRCA1-associated tumor  sex- and tissue-specificity, and BRCA1-associated cancer treatment and therapeutic resistance GW
Ishibashi Nobuyuki MD Neurodevelopment and injury in congenital heart disease CNHS
Jaiswal Jyoti PhD Cell biology of tissue repair and regeneration with a focus on muscle diseases; Cell biology of viral diseases CNHS
Jose Pedro MD, PhD Role of dopamine, adrenergic, and angiotensin receptors subtypes and dopamine regulatory genes or sodium transport  in the pathogenesis of genetic hyptertension and metabolic syndrome GW
Keller Michael MD Adoptive immunotherapy and antiviral T cell immunity in immunocompromised patients CNHS
Lee Jiyoung PhD Molecular signaling mechanisms by which metastasis regulators modify gene expression and functional phenotypes in cancer GW
Lee Norman PhD Cancer disparities in the African American population using animal experiments and molecular biology; cancer genomics; molecular mechanisms of metastasis and cancer drug resistance; regulation of RNA splicing GW
Li Rong PhD Molecular understanding of risk factors for breast cancer [See webpage] GW
Li Wei PhD Genome editing technology  and new computational algorithms to better understand how coding and non-coding elements function especially in human cancer, and to further identify novel molecular targets to inform precision medicine CNHS
Limperopoulos Catherine PhD Novel, patient-centered clinical and translational research in pregnant women and neurodiagnostic and neurodevelopmental surveillance in high-risk fetuses and preterm infants CNHS
Lu Hui PhD Neural circuit dysfunction;  circuit dysfunctions in MeCP2-deficient mice related to motor function, social interactions, and emotional states  GW
Lynch Rebecca PhD Harnessing antibodies for HIV therapy and cure and flavivirus antibody responses. GW
Maggirwar Sanjay PhD, MBA Underlying mechanisms of HIV-associated illnesses such as thrombosis, atherosclerosis, cancers and neurocognitive impairments [See video] GW
Marvar Paul PhD Characterization of the neurocircuitry in the brain that contributes to stress-induced hypertension and other stress-related disorders such as PTSD GW
Mazumder Raja PhD Applied bioinformatics; comprehensive comparative analysis at the genomic level GW
Mendelowitz David PhD Role of the autonomic nervous system in cardiorespiratory diseases; identification of novel targets for treating diseases such as sleep apnea and heart failure GW
Nino Gustavo MS, MSHS Developmental immunology of the human airway epithelium, pathobiology of respiratory disorders in infants born prematurely, novel tools for respiratory phenotyping in young children CNHS
Novak James PhD Gene therapy strategies for muscular dystrophies; molecular and cellular mechanisms of tissue repair and muscle disease pathogenesis CNHS
Pei Yanxin PhD Molecular mechanisms underlying tumor development and therapy resistance in pediatric brain tumors and identifying novel therapeutic approaches to treating the disease CNHS
Polotsky Vsevolod MD Pathogenesis of sleep disordered breathing and its complications GW
Polter Abigail PhD Circuit and synaptic-level effects of stress and adversity [See video] GW
Posnack Nikki PhD Cardiovascular physiology, pharmacology and pediatric heart models [See video] CNHS
Sepulveda Antonia MD, PhD Novel regulatory pathways and early biomarkers of cancer of the esophagus, stomach, colorectum, and pancreas using innovative genomics, transcriptomics, and computational image analyses GW
Seto Edward PhD Epigenetics; histone deacetylase (HDAC), enzymes that catalyze the removal of acetyl groups from the lysine residues of histones GW
Shibata Maho PhD Prostate stem/progenitor cells, prostate organogenesis and cancer, patient-derived prostate cancer organoids GW
Shook Brett PhD Molecular and cellular regulation of immune cells in mammalian skin GW
Sidorov Michael PhD Neural circuits and behavior in autism-like neurodevelopmental disorders; mechanisms of visual encoding and plasticity. CNHS
Torii Masaaki PhD Molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern differentiation of neuronal and glial subtypes in normal development of the cerebral cortex; role of these processes of cognitive and psychiatric disorders CNHS
Triplett Jason PhD Mechanisms of visual circuit development; analysis of visual dysfunction and circuit disorganization in neurodevelopmental disorders CNHS
Tzatsos Alexandros MD, PhD Epigenetic progression model of pancreatic cancer;  Epigenetic regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells GW
Watkins David PhD Immune response to viruses including HIV, Zika, Dengue, Yellow fever and the new coronavirus encompassing MHC genetics, viral evolution, CD8+ T cell responses, antibody cloning and expression, vaccine development and diagnostics. GW
Wu Ray-Chang PhD Chromatin remodeling proteins in the development and therapy resistance of cancers  GW
Young Colin PhD CNS molecular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular and metabolic diseases GW
Zheng Xiaoyan PhD Identification of target genes regulated by the Hedgehog signaling pathway and molecular mechanisms activated by Hedgehog in regulating cell-cell interactions GW
Zhu Wenge PhD DNA replication. DNA damage checkpoint and repair, histone modification, and identification of small molecules for cancer therapy GW
Zohn Irene PhD Developmental mechanisms mediating gene-environment interactions underlying structural birth defects such as spina bifida and congenital heart defects CNHS