Current Students T-Z

I was raised in Columbus, Georgia and moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of North Florida. In 2018, I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a concentration in Biomedical Sciences. During my undergraduate studies, I discovered my passion for research in a Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab by studying the effects of the drug Taxol on a cancerous cell line. To further my research experience, I sought out a lab assistant position to investigate liver regeneration at The Mayo Clinic with Dr. Fatima Rehman. Following this internship, I worked under the guidance of Dr. Judith Ochrietor at the University of North Florida for a senior seminar research project. The project involved studying sex differences in mouse olfaction by measuring gene expression of the Basigin subset of the immunoglobulin superfamily in the olfactory bulb. After graduation, I matriculated into the Master of Science program in Molecular Biology at the University of North Florida under the continued guidance of Dr. Ochrietor. My thesis research entailed investigating the role of the cell adhesion molecule Basigin in the immune response within the retina. Moving forward, I would like to remain focused on cell signaling and its regulatory role of inflammation. I have a desire to study cellular interactions in different models of disease, specifically how cellular processes are regulated. I am intrigued by translational research centered around immunotherapy of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and antivirals. I strive to conduct research that has a large-scale impact on patient care.

I am a student in the biomedical science graduate program. I come from China and attended to Chinese academy of sciences (CAS), where I learned biological engineering, and earn my master's degree in June 2019. After I graduated I worked in a biological company for more than two years. I came to OUS as a research scholar in December 2021 and attended OSU in August 2022. I joined Dr Li's lab and learned electrophysiology with the ion channels function program when I studied in the CAS. After I came to OSU, I joined the Dr. Fu lab and developed my research interest in electrophysiology in the heart, especially in microRNAs function on the ion channel of heart cells. As a student, I will keep on studying the project of heart electrophysiology.

I was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. I attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&T) in Greensboro, NC. Where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry in Spring 2021. My first research experience was a 5-week summer program following my freshman year. The Sophomore Immersion Program in Research and Academics (SIPRA), at North Carolina A&T in 2018. Because of this experience, I became certain of my desire to pursue scientific research as a career. While in SIPRA, I worked on a project under the mentorship of Misty Thomas, PhD that aimed to understand the mechanism of silver resistance in Escherichia Coli. After successful completion of the program, I was then invited to continue to work in the Thomas Lab for the remainder of my academic career. I also participated in the Summer Research Opportunities Program at The University of Michigan where I conducted research with Dr. Chritiane Wobus where I worked to establish in vivo and in vitro replication models for the Human Astrovirus by use of small animal models and human intestinal enteroids (HIEs). The opportunity to participate in these research experiences have played an integral role in shaping my future career plans. I look forward to my training here at The Ohio State University and developing into a biomedical researcher.

I graduated from Purdue University in May 2024 with a degree in Neurobiology and Physiology. There, I decided to pursue a career studying cellular neuroscience, and I am excited to start my future here at Ohio State. Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking and exploring the Columbus Metroparks.

I was born in Meishan, China. I majored in Animal Science and completed my master's studies at Sichuan Agricultural University. My interest in heart failure research led me to join the BSGP program at The Ohio State University, where my projects are focused on cardiac mitochondria. I am eager to further develop my technical skills and enhance my scientific thinking abilities.

Mark Vater is a Cincinnati, Ohio native holding a BS degree in biology and environmental science from Northern Kentucky University, and a MS degree in biostatistics from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. He has educational and professional experience in toxicology, epidemiology, statistics and bioinformatics. His research interests include building statistical and computational tools for prediction and treatment of complex diseases including cancers, neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental diseases.

I was born and raised in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico. I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at the University of Turabo at Gurabo, Puerto Rico. I worked under Dr. Sharon Cantrell’s mentorship for my last two years as an undergraduate on an NSF-LTER5 sponsored project, analyzing the effect of canopy opening and debris deposition on microbial diversity in green litter and soil. As an undergraduate researcher, this experience gave me the basic skills to do science. In 2016 I carried out a summer internship for one month at Barnard College at Columbia University in New York, under the supervision of Dr. Krista L. McGuire. We ran PCRs and agarose gels before Illumina sequencing for fungi and bacteria analysis in soil and litter samples. These experiences encouraged me to begin a Master of Science in Biotechnology in 2017 at PUCPR. I worked in an NIH funded project under the mentorship of Dr. Appleyard as a Research Technician at Ponce Health Sciences University-Ponce Research Institute, while completing my master’s degree. We subjected an endometriosis rat model to a controlled exercise protocol (voluntary wheel running) and examining its impact on the pathology of the disease under stress and non-stress conditions. I am interested in working in physiology, immunology and pharmacology-related biomedical fields, especially in the pathology of chronic inflammatory conditions and compromised immune systems. My goal is to work towards improvement of current treatments for health disparities by collaborating with experts in different fields.

I was born in Corvallis, OR, but soon moved to Simsbury, CT. I graduated from The University of Connecticut with a dual degree in Spanish and Structural Biology/Biophysics. I worked in two labs during my time at UCONN. The first focused cancer genetics. There I was a part of a pathway analysis project to categorize cancer patients and predict their outcomes based on RNA seq data from their tumors. In my other lab, I performed statistical analysis to study the microbiome. My projects with this group were diverse, ranging from placental samples from twins to oral samples from pediatric patients. I’m excited to learn more advanced computational techniques at OSU. My goal in my PhD is to study new applications for computers in healthcare.

I am Delaney Villarreal. I am originally from Omaha, Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where I obtained my BS in Microbiology. My current research interests focus on immunological responses and its various applications.

I am an international student from Guangzhou, China. After receiving my B.S. degree in chemistry from the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in 2022, I became a Ph.D. student at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. My Supervisor, Prof. Wang, Qi-En, has devoted decades to investigating chemotherapy resistance and cancer stem cell. Under his guidance, I attempt to merge my chemistry knowledge and skills into cancer biology to explore the area of cancer stem cell metabolism.

I am from Cleveland, TN. I attended Maryville College in Maryville, TN and will graduate in May 2021 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biochemistry with a minor in Psychology. I will be moving to Columbus in June 2021, and will be joining the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program in June as well. While at Maryville College, I researched blood protein interactions with the anticoagulant drug heparin. Our research focused on understanding the protein-protein interactions in the coagulation cascade, as well as protein-heparin interactions in order to develop a better understanding of the adverse reactions that are seen in patients who receive heparin treatment. My current research interests include protein interactions, microbiology, and immunology. Specifically, I am interested in how research in those fields can be translated for direct medical applications.

I was born and raised in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, just outside of Milwaukee. I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Microbiology with a minor in Global Health in May of 2016. While completing my undergraduate degree I became interested in the field of immunology. After completing my studies I was fortunate enough to be offered a position at the Clinical Immunodiagnostic and Research laboratory at the Medical College of Wisconsin under the supervision of Dr. James Verbsky and Dr. Jack Routes. This position gave me the opportunity to learn about lymphoproliferative disorders in patients with primary immunodeficiencies. I then took a position in the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at the University of California- Los Angeles under the direction of Dr. Michael Irwin. The research experience that I gained working there has been extremely advantageous because of the interdisciplinary nature of psychoneuroimmunology and exposure to a clinical research setting. Through my experiences I have an interest in pursuing research in immunology and cancer biology. I am eager to be joining the scientific community here at The Ohio State University.

I was born in Pullman, Washington and lived in San Diego before I moved to Ames, Iowa where I was raised a Cyclone. I stayed in Ames during my undergraduate studies to attend Iowa State University where I will receive my BS in Microbiology in 2020 with a minor in Emerging Global Disease. I was able to be involved in the ISU Undergraduate Microbiology Club where I served as treasurer. My undergraduate research consists of studying protein-structure function of diterpene synthases in Dr. Reuben Peters’ lab. Mutating the bulky aromatic residues in the active sites of these diterpene synthases may increase the diversity of their diterpenoid natural product portfolio. With a strong background in microbiology and biochemistry, I am excited to shift my research focus to biomedically-focused questions and translational research at The Ohio State University.

As an undergraduate I attended The Ohio State University, where I majored in Animal Sciences with a biological sciences specialization. As a senior I began working for Dr. Kichoon Lee in a functional genomics lab, using quail as a model species. After I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in 2016, I began a master’s program with Dr. Lee in the Animal Sciences department. My research focused on the identification of tissue specific genes and improving animal production through the use of these genes and transgenic technology. This work and experience is what motivated me to continue my education further through the Biomedical Science graduate program at The Ohio State University.

I am from Dalian, Liaoning, China. I attended Reed College in Portland in August 2016 and transferred to the Ohio State University in January 2019. I will graduate in May 2021 with my Bachelor's of Science in Computer and Information Science. I joined Dr.Gao’s lab during my senior year. Our work is about deep learning and computer vision. We utilized machine learning for complex human diseases, such as glaucoma and Alzheimer’s. I gained very useful presentation abilities through regular lab and programmatic presentation opportunities. I will continue to do research in Dr.Gao's lab this summer. My personal research interests are using artificial intelligence to understand and prevent complex diseases.

My name is Weidong Wu, a PhD student mentored by Dr. Anjun and Dr. Qin in the Department of Biomedical Informatics. I'm excited to work alongside many outstanding peers and professors. Currently, my research focuses on bioinformatics, particularly in cross-species analysis. However, interspecies genomic differences often restrict joint analysis of cross-species datasets to homologous genes. Despite this, I believe that with continued effort, our team can successfully transfer annotations and drug response data across species, even when they are evolutionarily distant.

I am from China. I attended Tianjin University where I completed my Master’s degree in biomedical engineering in January 2022. My education and professional experience have incited my curiosity in how computing and analysis can influence health outcomes. My personal research interests are using and developing bioinformatics methods as well as its translation into public health.

I was born and raised in Nantong, China, and attended Nantong University, where I earned a Bachelor of Medicine and a master’s degree in Cardiothoracic Surgery. During my final undergraduate year, I completed a one-year clinical internship at the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, where I rotated through several departments and developed a strong interest in cardiovascular diseases. During my master's studies, I investigated the role of Hrd1 in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and discovered its interaction with PPAR-α, further strengthening my passion for cardiac research. I am now conducting further studies in Dr. Yutong Zhao’s lab at The Ohio State University, focusing on the effect of E3 ubiquitin ligase and deubiquitinating enzyme in cardiac and pulmonary diseases. My current research interests include exploring potential therapeutic targets for right ventricular failure and influenza-induced cardiac damage.

I was born in Japan and raised in Northern California. In my undergraduate years at Dr. Donald B. Kohn’s lab, I investigated cell culture methods to increase the transduction efficiency of a lentiviral vector carrying an anti-sickling gene cassette. After obtaining my Bachelor’s in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA, I worked for a pharmaceutical company called Acerta Pharma where I applied bioinformatic methods to flow cytometric data to research mechanisms of drug resistance. I feel grateful to be part of BSGP’s scientific community where I can challenge myself by pursuing my interest in bioinformatics.

First name: Chen
Last name: Yang
Department: Biomedical Informatics
Campus Bldg: Lincoln tower
Phone: 6086953121
Email: Chen.Yang@osumc.edu
Web: NA
My research direction is to build machine learning models to predict essential genes using multi-omics data.

I was born in Montana, but grew up in Essex Junction, Vermont. I attended the University of Vermont and graduated in May 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. During my time as an undergraduate, I conducted research with Dr. Neil Sarkar using computational methods to investigate potential phytotherapies in biomedical literature. The coding-based research experience, in conjunction with my life science background, has steered my interest towards a career in biomedical informatics. I look forward to being trained by the dedicated and talented faculty at OSU and becoming more involved in the bioinformatics field.

I was born and raised in Curitiba, Brazil. I completed my undergraduate studies at the Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR) and I graduated in August 2016 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nutrition. After graduation, I was admitted to the Physiology Graduate Program at UFPR in August 2016 as a Master’s Degree student. My research focused on the effects of Mindfulness Meditation associated with Nutritional Orientation for the treatment of obese women. I completed my MS in August 2018 and I began working as a Nutrition Educator in private schools throughout Brazil until December 2020. I was then awarded a Fulbright PhD Scholarship and I chose The Ohio State University to pursue my graduate studies. My research interests are in Cardiovascular Physiology and genomic, and I look forward to learning state-of-the-art techniques.

My name is Ning Zhang, I was born in Chuzhou, Anhui. I attended college at AnQing Normal University (AQNU) and received my Bachelor’s degree in bioscience. I was joined in Dr. Heping Wei’s lab and started doing research in sophomore year. In Dr. Wei’s lab, I was trained to learn plant tissue culture technology, PCR, aseptic technique and so on. After graduation, I was trained in University of science and technology of China for two years. There, I did two projects about gastric cancer cells. The first project I did is about a new BET inhibitor, NHWD870. I detest its anti-tumor function in five gastric cancer cell lines and find its molecular mechanism, and compared NHWD870 with JQ1. I collaborated with one of my lab members in the second project. I have learned some basic biology experiment, such as PCR, WB, cell culture, FACS, IP, IHC. My research experience has motivated me to pursue a research career in cancer biology. I have strong passion for medical treatment, and I am excited to have the chance to join OSU.

I was born and raised in Changchun, a city located in northeastern China. I earned my B.S. in Pharmaceutical Engineering from Jilin University in July 2019. The reason why I choose this major is that I think only those scientific researches focused on fighting against diseases make sense to me. So during my undergraduate years, I mainly did research on various diseases. In the early spring of 2016, I worked with postgraduate and Ph.D. students for projects about the effect of ganoderma lucidum on lung cancer. Then in the second year of my undergraduate study, I tried a different topic on Alzheimer’s Disease, where I specifically study the neuro-protection of osthole. After completing this project, I devoted myself into lipoic acid-modified oligoethyleneimine-mediated miR-34a delivery for cancer gene therapy. In the summer of 2019, I was really lucky to have the chance to study in Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where I systematically learned cancer immunotherapy, and finally decided to pursue this as my lifelong research topic. I’m really excited to be a member of OSU, and I’m looking forward to having more experience about tumor microenvironment regulation and long-lived tumor-specific memory T cells’ generation. I’m sure I will get the best training from my mentor and peers in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program.

I was born and raised in Hefei, a city located in eastern China. I got my B.S. in Biology from Lanzhou University in July 2019. I chose biology with my passion for life sciences. I like to explore why people get sick, like to explore the secrets of the human body and biology. During my undergraduate study, I conducted research in Dr.Jia Li’s lab, which opened the door to my biological research and laid the foundations of biological experiments. Then I joined Dr. Margaret Liu’s Lab since coming to the US in August 2021 for my master’s degree. My research projects focus on develop targeted chemotherapy to treat triple negative breast cancer, which is in line with my interest in exploring human diseases. I decided to pursue my PhD degree in Biomedical Science at OSU in 2022 and continued to my research. I am looking forward to having a great study and research time at OSU in the future.

I grew up in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. I attended Minnesota State University, Mankato and graduated with my Bachelor’s of Science in May 2020. At MNSU, I conducted undergraduate research in Dr. Michael Bentley’s lab looking at the biocompatibility of 3D-Printed metal alloy implants in terms of connective tissue infiltration and osseointegration. During the Summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to join Dr. Lichun Lu’s lab at Mayo Clinic as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, where I worked on a project looking at the degradation of hydrogels for tissue engineering applications. Prior to matriculating into BSGP in the Summer of 2021, I spent a year as a research assistant for Dr. Ajay Israni working on patient-centered outcomes research, specifically with organ transplantation. I am passionate about understanding human disease and I am excited to grow as a scientist at The Ohio State University!