Alumni
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2019
Meemanage (Dudarshika) De Zoysa, Ph.D.The Mechanism and Function of RNA-Guided RNA Pseudouridylation
Advisor: Yi-Tao Yu, Ph.D.
Sierra Fox, Ph.D.Investigating the Function of Hyperacetylated Chromatin Domain-Forming Enhancers
Advisor: Michael Bulger, Ph.D.
Christopher Goodwin, Ph.D.The intersection of Human Cytomegalovirus infection and innate immune signaling
Advisor: Joshua Munger, Ph.D.
Wan-Jung (Christine) Lai, Ph.D.The role of the intrinsic closeness of mRNA ends in translation
Advisor: Dmitri Ermolenko, Ph.D.
Now: Quality assurance scientist at Upstate Stem Cell cGMP Facility (USCGF)
Jiyu Wang, Ph.D.Reading frame maintenance at translation stalls in yeast involves eukaryotic specific mechanisms
Advisor: Elizabeth Grayhack, Ph.D.
Now: MS student in Data Science program at University of Washington
Hong Zhu, Ph.D.Use of Yeast Surface Display to
Identify Variants of HIV Envelope
Glycoprotein with Enhanced Affinity
for Precursors to Broadly Neutralizing
Antibodies
Advisor: Mark Dumont, Ph.D.
2018
Amber DiPiazza (Cutter), Ph.D.Molecular Characterization of Nucleosome Recognition by Linker Histone H1.0
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Researcher at Department of Biochemistry Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Lu Han, Ph.D.The Biology of Anticodon Stem-Loop Modifications of Yeast tRNAs
Advisor: Eric Phizicky, Ph.D.
Now: Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School
Bronwyn Lucas, Ph.D.ER-associated Functions of the Double-stranded RNA-binding Protein Staufen1
Advisor: Lynne Maquat, Ph.D.
Now: PostDoc at Janelia Research Institute
Jerry Madukwe, Ph.D.Insights into G protein βγ Regulation of Phospholipase Cε
Advisor: Alan Smrcka, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University School of Medicine
Matthew Payea, Ph.D.Characterization of tRNA Quality Control Pathways in Yeast
Advisor: Eric Phizicky, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Researcher at National Institute on Aging
Owen Charles Smith, Ph.D.KNa1.2 as a Cardiac Mitochondrial Potassium Channel with Metabolic Impact on Energy Usage
Advisor: Paul Brookes, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Fellow at Roman Eliseev Lab, URMC
2017
Christina Brule, Ph.D.Specific Codon Pairs Inhibit Translation in Yeast and Act by Distinct Mechanisms
Advisor: Elizabeth Grayhack, Ph.D.
Now: Law Student at Syracuse University
Clarence Ling, Ph.D.Regulation of Ribosome Structural Dynamics by Antibiotics, Translation Factors and mRNA Secondary Structure
Advisor: Dmitri Ermolenko, Ph.D.
Now: Scientific reviewer at FDA
Michael Sloma, Ph.D.Computational Tools for RNA Structure Prediction
Advisor: David Mathews, M.D., Ph.D.
Now: Data Scientist at Xometry
2016
Shihao Xu, Ph.D.The Impact of Oncogenic Signaling on Metabolic Stress Responses and Human Cytomegalovirus Infection
Advisor: Joshua Munger, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Associate at Salk Institute for Biological Studies
2015
Angela Balliano, Ph.D.Characterization of ATP-Dependent Chromatin Remodeler-Nucleosome Interactions and Analysis of the Role of HMGB1 in Base Excision Repair
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Molecular Biologist at ZeptoMetrix Corp
Stefanie DeVito, Ph.D.Contributions of Pyrimidine Biosynthesis to Viral Infection
Advisor: Joshua Munger, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor at Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware
Guangze Jin, Ph.D.Characterization of PIN-domain Toxin-antitoxins VapBC from Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Advisor: Scott Butler, Ph.D.
Now: Software Engineer at LenelS2
Morgan Monaghan, Ph.D.Identification of A2 Inter-Subunit Interactions in Factor VIIIa of the Blood Clotting Pathway
Advisor: Philip Fay, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Fellow at Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of Rochester
Kevin Murphy, Ph.D.The Non-Histone Protein HMGN1 Alters Core Histone Tail and H1 Interactions to Modify Higher-Order Chromatin Structure
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Scientist at Zoetis Inc.
Chinmay Surve, Ph.D.Stimulation of Neutrophil Migration through the Dynamic Regulation of Signaling by the Heterotrimeric G Proteins ai and bgSubunit
Advisor: Alan Smrcka, Ph.D.
Now: Research Fellow at Integrated Imaging Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Yongchun Zhang, Ph.D.Beta-catenin signaling integrates with BMP2 and CCN1 signaling to regulate chondrocyte differentiation and cartilage development
Advisor: Regis O'Keefe, M.D., Ph.D.
Now: Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University
2014
Brenda Cadiz-Rivera, Ph.D.Hyperacetylated Domain Formation and cis-acting Regulatory DNA Sequences within the Murine β-globin Locus
Advisor: Michael Bulger, Ph.D.
Now: Research Associate at University of Puerto Rico
Joshua Dewe, Ph.D.Characterizing the Role of Elongation Factor 1A and Other Cellular Proteins in the Yeast Rapid tRNA Decay Pathway
Advisor: Eric Phizicky, Ph.D.
Now: Principal Scientist at Nova Rock Biotherapeutics
Joseph Liberman, Ph.D.Structural and Functional Analysis of Gene Regulatory PreQ1 Riboswitches
Advisor: Joseph Wedekind, Ph.D.
Now: Medical Science Liaison at uniQure
William McDougall, Ph.D.Characterization of the APOBEC3G ssDNA Editing Complex and its Regulation by RNA
Advisor: Harold Smith, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor at University of Massachusetts
David Rabayev, Ph.D.Tissue Specific Gene Activation by a Class of Enhancers in Hyperacetylated Domains of Chromatin
Advisor: Michael Bulger, Ph.D.
Now: Medical Writer at Pfizer
Jiashi Wang, Ph.D.Investigation of an evolutionarily conserved Staufen-mediated mRNA decay pathway that involves SINEs and lncRNAs
Advisor: Lynne Maquat, Ph.D.
2013
Kimberly Dean, Ph.D.Selection, Identification, and Characterization of Codon Pairs that Inhibit Translation and the Development of the RNA-ID Method to Measure the Effects of Cis-Regulatory Elements
Advisor: Elizabeth Grayhack, Ph.D.
Now: Clinical Study Manager at Becton Dickinson
Geoffrey Lippa, Ph.D.Thermodynamic Analysis and Characterization of Viral-Host Protein Interactions as a Preface to HIV Therapeutic Design
Advisor: Joseph Wedekind, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor at Department of Biology, Alfred State University
Sharon Pepenella, Ph.D.Characterization of Intra- and Inter-nucleosomal Interactions of the Histone H4 Tail Domain and the Effects of H4 Acetylation on Chromatin Structure
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.
Now: Educator at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, DNA Learning Center
Cody Spencer, Ph.D.Fatty Acid Biosynthesis: Elucidating the Mechanisms Behind the Manipulation and Necessity of a Metabolic Pathway Critical for Viral and Cancer Pathogenesis
Advisor: Joshua Munger, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Research Scientist at Bio X Cell
Jeffrey Zuber, Ph.D.Identification of Mutations Affecting the Thermal Stability of Ste2p, a G Protein Coupled Receptor in S. cerevisiae
Advisor: Mark Dumont, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Fellow at Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of Rochester
2012
Jennifer DeAngelis, Ph.D.The Mechanisms for Catalytic Inactivation of FVIIIa by APC and Factor Xa
Advisor: Philip Fay, Ph.D.
Now: Photographer at Jennydee Photography
Rozzy Finn, Ph.D.The Role of Glutamate Receptors in the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis
Advisor: David Pearce, Ph.D.
Now: Research Development and Technology Transfer Liaison at The University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Jason Gloor, Ph.D.Binding and Cleavage Specificities of Human Dna2 and FEN1 Define Their Enzymatic Activities during DNA Replication and Repair
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Project Manager - Software Development at Excellus BCBS
Chenguang Gong, Ph.D.Staufen1-Mediated mRNA Decay in Mammalian Cells
Advisor: Lynne Maquat, Ph.D.
Now: Investigator II at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
Adam Miller, Ph.D.Human Telomere DNA Damage by Oxidation and Direct Effect Ionizing Radiation, and the Promotion of Telomere DNA Repair by Telomere Proteins
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: QC Scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Athena Petrides (Kantartzis), Ph.D.Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms of Genome Maintenance
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Medical Director of Pathology Informatics at Bingham and Women’s Hospital
Karyn Schmidt, Ph.D.Air Proteins Control Differential TRAMP Substrate Specificity for Nuclear RNA Surveillance
Advisor: Scott Butler, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Scientist at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Wen Shen, Ph.D.Factors that Promote Strand Transfer Recombination during HIV-1 Reverse Transcription
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Director at Ionis Pharmaceuticals
Jessica Van Allen (McArdle), Ph.D.Uncovering the Mechanism by Which Human Cytomegalovirus Mediates Glycolytic Activation
Advisor: Joshua Munger, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Molecular Biologist at ZeptoMetrix Corporation
Guowei Wu, Ph.D.Constitutive and inducible pseudouridylation of S. cerevisiae U2 snRNA
Advisor: Yi-Tao Yu, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Fellow at Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California-San Diego
2011
Jennifer Gewandter, Ph.D.Studies in Oxidative Damage Induced Signaling: A Focus Outside the Nucleus
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D. & Michael O'Reilly, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor at Department of Anesthesiology, University of Rochester
Ryan Henry, Ph.D.Multiple Roles for Members of the Long Flap Pathway in Okazaki Fragment Processing
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor at Department of Chemistry, Wilkes University, PA
Christopher Hine, Ph.D.Defying and Defeating Cancer: Hyaluronic Acid and the Rad51 Promoter
Advisor: Michael Bulger, Ph.D. & Vera Gorbunova, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health
John Karijolich, Ph.D.Regulation of Translation Termination by Box H/ACA RNP-mediated Post-transcriptional Modification
Advisor: Yi-Tao Yu, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor at Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Holly Kuzmiak, Ph.D.Roles of Hho1p, Esc2p, and the post-translational modification of Sir2p in transcriptional silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D. & Xin Bi, Ph.D.
Now: Owner & Head Coach at Run with Holly
Ning Liu, Ph.D.Mechanism of ySWI/SNF and RSC catalyzed nucleosome sliding
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Laboratory Director, Clinical Biochemical Genetics at Baylor Genetics
David Stephenson, Ph.D.Pseudouridylation of the Branch Site Recognition Region of U2 Affects Spliceosome Structure and Function
Advisor: Yi-Tao Yu, Ph.D.
Now: Patent Attorney at Kloss, Stenger & LoTempio
Amir Taslimi, Ph.D.Conformational Changes Associated with Activation of the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae α-factor Receptor Ste2p
Advisor: Mark Dumont, Ph.D.
Now: CEO at Namaki LLC
Joseph Whipple, Ph.D.Defining the Substrate Specificity Determinants for the Yeast Rapid tRNA Decay Pathway and the Identification of Factors that Mediate Degradation
Advisor: Eric Phizicky, Ph.D.
Now: Development Scientist I at New England Biolabs
2010
Amanda Benedict (Getty), Ph.D.Studies of the Cell Biology of CLN3 and Cell Motility Defects in the Cln3-/- Mouse
Advisor: David Pearce, Ph.D.
Now: Biology/Chemistry Teacher at The Taft School
Tamara Caterino, Ph.D.Molecular Determinants of Linker Histone Binding to Nucleosomes
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Clinical Research Scientist at Proctor and Gamble
Michael DeRan, Ph.D.The Role of NPAT in S-Phase-Dependent Histone Gene Transcription and DNA Double-Strand Break Repair
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D. & Jiyong Zhao, Ph.D.
Now: Research Scientist at Broad Institute, Wagner Group
Suresh DeSilva, Ph.D.Development of a Bipartite Herpes Simplex Virus Sleeping Beauty Amplicon Vector Platform: Toward Site-Directed Integration of Large Transgenons Within the Human Genome
Advisor: William Bowers, Ph.D.
Now: Vice President of Product Development at Shattuck Labs Inc.
Kriti Gaur, Ph.D.A novel role for tumor suppressor gene Birt-Hogg-Dubé (BHD) in regulating ribosomal RNA (rRNA) synthesis
Advisor: Willis Li, Ph.D. & Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.
Now: Advisor-Grants and Alumni Relations at Christian Medical College & Hospital
Chao Huang, Ph.D.2'O-methylation of Yeast Telomerase in RNA
Advisor: Yi-Tao Yu, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Scientist I at Bristol-Myers Squibb
David Johnson, Ph.D.Mitochondrial membrane fusion, pH homeostasis and ROS signaling in C. elegans
Advisor: Joshua Munger, Ph.D. & Keith Nehrke, Ph.D.
Now: Instructor at Department of Biology, Genesee Community College
Chun Mathers, Ph.D.Mechanisms and Functional Roles of Pseudouridines in RNAs
Advisor: Yi-Tao Yu, Ph.D.
Now: Physician Assistant at Baylor Scott & White Health
Jason Pike, Ph.D.Understanding Why Three Pathways are Needed for Synthesis of Eukaryotic Nuclear DNA
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Health Plan Analytics Consultant at Excellus BCBS
Jason Salter, Ph.D.Biophysical Characterization of the HIV-1 Viral Infectivity Factor and the Innate-Immunity Factor APOBEC3G
Advisor: Joseph Wedekind, Ph.D.
Now: Scientist at OyaGen Inc
2009
George Fromm, Ph.D.The Formation and Function of Chromatin Domains at the Murine Beta Globin Locus
Advisor: Michael Bulger, Ph.D.
Now: Vice President of Research and Development at Shattuck Labs, Inc
Chad Galloway, Ph.D.Metabolic Regulation and Structural Evaluation of APOBEC-1 Complementation Factor
Advisor: Harold Smith, Ph.D.
Now: Associate at Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester
David Hoffman, Ph.D.The Production of Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species at Steady-state Oxygen Concentrations: Implications for Oxygen Sensing
Advisor: Paul Brookes, Ph.D. & Joshua Munger, Ph.D.
Now: Scientist I - Molecular Screening at Cayman Chemical
Jennifer Newell-Caito, Ph.D.Contributions of Active Site Docking and Exosite Binding to the Mechanism of Thrombin-Catalyzed Activation of Factor VIII
Advisor: Philip Fay, Ph.D.
Now: Instructor and Lab Coordinator at University of Maine
Juanita Perera, Ph.D.SYT-SSX1 Regulates PIASy Activity to Cause the Overexpression of NCOA3 in Synovial Sarcoma
Advisor: Yin Sun, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Research Scientist at German Cancer Research Center
Melanie Preston, Ph.D.Investigation of the Roles of the Highly Conserved G-1 Residue of tRNAHis and Analysis of Unexpected Modification Changes in tRNAHis Variants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Advisor: Eric Phizicky, Ph.D.
Now: Applications Scientist at Promega Corporation
Sean Rigby, Ph.D.Mechanism Analysis of the Factors that Determine the Efficiency of Recombination Events during HIV-1 Reverse Transcription
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Global Category Buyer at BASF Corporation
Sabrina Seehafer, Ph.D.Studies on the Biochemical and Immunological Consequence of Lysosomal Dysfunction in Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses
Advisor: David Pearce, Ph.D.
Now: DNA Criminalist at Dept. of Criminal Investigation, State of Iowa
Madhavika Serasinghe, Ph.D.Identification of Novel Molecular Interactions of the Mitochondrial Fission Protein hFis1: Insight into its Action Mechanism and Therapeutic Potential
Advisor: Yisang Yoon, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Jason Stewart, Ph.D.Functional Interactions between Replication Protein A, Dna2, and Flap Endonuclease 1 during Okazaki Fragment Processing
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor, Department of Biology at University of South Carolina
Beth Van Winkle, Ph.D.Monocytes and Their Mitochondria in Alzheimer's Disease
Advisor: Thomas Gunter, Ph.D.
Devin Wolfe, Ph.D.The Interrelationship between pH, Btn1p and Phospholipid Regulation
Advisor: David Pearce, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Scientist at Genzyme
2008
Lindsay Burwell, Ph.D.Identification of Mitochondrial S-nitrosothiols and Determination of the Protective Effect of Mitochondrial S-nitrosation in Cardiac Ischemia Reperfusion Injury
Advisor: Paul Brookes, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry at Wells College
Kevin Callahan, Ph.D.Core exosome independent function of the nuclear exoribonuclease Rrp6p
Advisor: Scott Butler, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Rochester
Irina Chernyakov, Ph.D.Degradation of several hypomodified mature tRNA species in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is mediated by Met22, and the 5’-3’ exonucleases Rat1 and Xrn1
Advisor: Eric Phizicky, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Head of School at Namaste Montessori School
Hope Cole, Ph.D.Activities of Two Base Excision Repair Enzymes on Nucleosomal Substrates
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.
Now: IRTA Fellow, Clark Lab at NIH
Lu Gao, Ph.D.Factors That Promote Recombination during HIV-1 Reverse Transcription and Properties of M184 Drug Resistant Reverse Transcriptases
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Scientist Manager at Iowa State University
Min Song, Ph.D.Unique Mechanisms that Control the Efficiency of HIV-1 Minus Strand Strong Stop Transfer
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant director of Core Antisense Research at Ionis Pharmaceuticals
Seasson Vitiello, Ph.D.The Yeast Model for Batten Disease: Genetic and Physical Interactions
Advisor: David Pearce, Ph.D.
Now: Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Cell Signaling at Augustana University
2007
Jared Benedict, Ph.D.Elucidating and Characterizing the Interacting Partners of the Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses Proteins
Advisor: David Pearce, Ph.D.
Now: Master Black Belt Manager at Nouryon
Ryan Bennett, Ph.D.A Functional Analysis of the Domains of APOBEC3G Involved in Dimerization, Anti-viral Activity and Cellular Localization
Advisor: Harold Smith, Ph.D.
Now: Chief Scientific Officer at Oyagen, Inc.
Patrick Brandt, Ph.D.A Role for the Human Rad9-Rad1-Hus1 DNA Clamp Complex in DNA Repair
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Director of Career Development and Training at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jason Hoskins, Ph.D.Analysis of the Mechanisms of 5-Fluorouracil Toxicity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Advisor: Scott Butler, Ph.D.
Now: Staff Scientist at National Cancer Institute
Lakmal Kotelawala, Ph.D.Identification of Yeast tRNASer Um44 2'-O-Methyltransferase (Trm44) and Demonstration of a Role of Trm44 in Maintaining Levels of Specific tRNASer Species
Advisor: Eric Phizicky, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Celeste MacElrevey, Ph.D.Crystallographic Analysis of a Small Catalytic RNA and Structural Insights into the Enzymes and Substrates of RNA / DNA Editing
Advisor: Joseph Wedekind, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Pharmacokineticist and QA Specialist at Nuventra Pharma Sciences
Marie Rossi, Ph.D.Distinguishing the Pathways of Primer Removal during Eukaryotic Okazaki Fragment Maturation
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Vice President, Communications at Intrexon Corporation
Fatbardha Varfaj, Ph.D.Contributions of Exosite Interactions and Active Site Docking to Activated Protein C-Catalyzed Inactivation of Factor VIIIa
Advisor: Philip Fay, Ph.D.
Now: Hematology Manager at Cerus
Xiaochao Wei, Ph.D.Studies of Signaling Pathways in Cellular Responses to Titanium Particles: Implications of Cyclooxgenes-2/Prostaglandin E2/RANK Ligand Induction in Fibroblasts During Wear Debris-Induced Osteolysis
Advisor: Regis O'Keefe, M.D., Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Fellow at <a class="link-external" href="http://wustl.edu/">Washington University at St. Louis</a>
Chunxing Yang, Ph.D.Functions and Mechanisms of RNA Pseudouridylation
Advisor: Yi-Tao Yu, Ph.D.
Now: Researcher at Umass Medical School
Chujun Yuan, PhDG Protein bg Subunit Mediated Signaling Specificity: Implications for bg subtypes and Novel Mechanisms of Activation
Advisor: Alan Smrcka, Ph.D.
Now: Attending Physician at Orange Regional Medical Center
2006
Charles Ansong, Ph.D.Probing Protein-Protein Interactions in Factor VIII: Characterization of Inter-Subunit Interactions and Epitope Mapping of Factor VIII Subunits
Advisor: Philip Fay, Ph.D.
Now: IO Engagement & Performance Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Varuni Jamburuthugoda, Ph.D.dNTP Interaction Mechanisms of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase
Advisor: Baek Kim, Ph.D.
Now: Professor, Department of Biology at Fordham University
Xiaodong Li, Ph.D.Functional Dissection of Estrogen Signaling Pathways Conveyed by Estrogen Receptor Homodimers and Heterodimer
Advisor: Russell Hilf, Ph.D.
Now: CEO at Luxena Pharmaceuticals
Craig Menges, Ph.D.The Human Papillomavirus E7 Oncoprotein Upregulates AKT Activity through the Retinoblastoma Protein (Rb) during Keratinocyte Differentiation
Advisor: Mark Dumont, Ph.D.
Now: Research Associate at Fox Chase Cancer Center
Huan Kathy Wang, Ph.D.Essential Role of Proteoglycans in Caenorhabditis elegans Early Embryonic Cell Division and Characterization of Sequence Requirement for Proteoglycan Modification Site
Advisor: Fred Hagen, Ph.D.
Now: Analyst, Risk Business Intelligence at Kaiser Permanente
2005
Anshika Bajaj, Ph.D.Ligand Binding and Receptor Activation in a G Protein Coupled Receptor in Baker’s Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Advisor: Mark Dumont, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Scientist at Immune Design
Weifeng Gu, Ph.D.Identification of the Essential Yeast Gene THG1 Encoding the Unusual tRNAHis Degree Guanylytransferase, and Elucidation of Multiple Consequences of Thg1p Post Depletion in vivo
Advisor: Eric Phizicky, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor, Cell Biology and Neuroscience at University of California Riverside
Edward Petri, Ph.D.Protein Engineering and Rational Mutagenesis in the Crystallization and Structure Determination of Human Cyclin B1
Advisor: Ravi Basavappa, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor at University of Novi Sad
Huan Frank Wang, Ph.D.Biochemistry and Physiology of Phospholipase C
Advisor: Alan Smrcka, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Fellow at Wistar Institute</a>, Pennsylvania
Michael White, Ph.D.Expression and Solubilization of Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Integral Membrane Proteins for Functional and Structural Genomics
Advisor: Mark Dumont, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics at Washington University in St. Louis
Kefang Xie, Ph.D.Structural and Functional Analysis of APOBEC-Related Editing Enzymes, and the Structural Basis of Antibody Specificity in Blood Type Recognition
Advisor: Joseph Wedekind, Ph.D.
Now: Chemist at US Army Public Health Command
2004
Jing Huang, Ph.D.Design of Estrogen Response Element (ERE) Binding Proteins to Study the Roles of ERE-containing Genes in Cell Proliferation and the Functional Differences Between ER Alpha and ER Beta
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Principal Investigator at The National Cancer Institute
Peter KloverObesity-Associated Interleukin-6 Contributes to Hepatic Insulin Resistance in Mice
Advisor: George Kimmich, Ph.D. & Robert Mooney, Ph.D.
Now: Staff Scientist at Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences
Letian Kuai, Ph.D.Degradation of mRNA in the nucleus and polyadenylation of noncoding RNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Advisor: Fred Sherman, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Director at Head of DEL Biology WuXi AppTec
Xiaoju Ma, Ph.D.Identification of Pseudouridylases Responsible for the Formation of Pseudouridines in Yeast U2 snRNA
Advisor: Yi-Tao Yu, Ph.D.
Now: Director Medical Affairs at Roche Sequencing Solutions
James RoussieThe Transport and Metabolism of the Neurotransmitter Glutamate: Regulation of the Glutamate Transport EAAC1 by Protein Kinase C; and Aminotransferase- Catalyzed Isotope Exchange and its Implications for the Glutamate-Glutamine Shuttle Model
Advisor: George Kimmich, Ph.D.
Now: Chief Scientific Officer at SiMPore
Hui-I TomThe Mechanism of Minus Strand Stop Transfer during HIV-1 Reverse Transcription
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Director at Bioanalytical Operations at BioAgilytix
Mingxuan XiaCooperation of activated Ras and mutant p53 in control of cell motility and invasion during malignant cell transformation
Advisor: Hartmut Land, Ph.D.
Now: TBC at TBC
Chunyang Zheng, Ph.D.Intra- and Inter-nucleosomal Protein-DNA Interactions of the Core Histone Tail Domains in a Model Dinucleosome and Oligonucleosome Array
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.
Now: President and CEO at Robustnique Corporation
2003
Sayura Aoyagi, Ph.D.Investigation of the Mechanism of Nucleosome Remodeling by the Human SWI?SNF and Xenopus Mi-2 Chromatin Remodeling Complexes
Advisor: Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.
Now: Senior Medical Writer at Dynamed, EBSCO Information Services
Xi ChenInvestigation of Mitochondrial Protein Degradation Using Mutationally Altered Forms of Yeast Chromosome
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D. & Fred Sherman, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor (tenure Track) at University of Pittsburg
Yuan LiuStudy on Roles of Eukaryotic Flap Endonuclease 1 (FEN1) in Maintaining Stability of Repeat Sequences During RNA Replication
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Florida International University
Mujib RahmanStudying the Roles of Androgen Receptor (AR) Coactivators in Prostate Cancer Progression using Dominant-negative Mutants and RNA Interference
Advisor: Chawnshang Chang, Ph.D. & Fred Sherman, Ph.D.
Now: Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Medical Oncology at Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Ricardo RodaThe Mechanism of Recombination of HIV-1
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor of Neurology at John Hopkins Medicine
Stephen Tajc, Ph.D.The molecular recognition of carbohydrates and ions in aqueous solution.
Advisor: Benjamin Miller, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Nazareth College
Feng Xing, Ph.D.A Family of Dihydrouridine Synthases with Different Specificities Responsible for Modification of Cytoplasmic tRNAs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Advisor: Eric Phizicky, Ph.D.
Now: Research Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
2002
Tamara RanalliAnalysis of Mammalian Base Excision Repair: Role of AP Endonuclease and Replication Protein A
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Vice President at Quidel
Ping YiStudies on Mechanisms of Estrogen Receptor Subtype-Specific Transcription Regulation
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine
2000
Negin Martin, Ph.D.Intramolecular Interactions among Transmembrane Regions of STE2, a G Protein Coupled Receptor in Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Advisor: Mark Dumont, Ph.D.
Now: Biologist at National Institute of Environmental Health and Sciences
1999
LuAnn Leavitt, Ph.D.Dominant Negative Mutations of the a-Factor Receptor Encoded by the STE2 Gene of the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Advisor: Mark Dumont, Ph.D.
Now: TBC at TBC
Ganesan SathyaCharacterization of Estrogen-induced Synergistic Response at Multiple EstrogenResponsive Elements (EREs)
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs at G1 Therapeutics, Inc.
1998
Jin KimMechanisms of viral recombination by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type I reverse transcriptase
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Medical Director at Cardiac Diagnostic Center, UC Irvine Medical Center
Jeffrey Rumbaugh, Ph.D.Biochemical mechanisms of DNA replication and repair and of HIV replication using mammalian enzymes
Advisor: Robert Bambara, Ph.D.
Now: Physician - Neurology at Watson Clinic LLP