Biochemistry, Structural & Molecular Biology

College

College of Life Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Campus

Center City

Format

On Campus

Duration

4 - 5 Years

Contact Information

Program Director

Position: Program Director, Biochemistry, Structural & Molecular Pharmacology

Program Coordinator

Name: Danielle Park
Department: Jefferson College of Life Sciences
Organization: Jefferson

1020 Locust Street
M-46 JAH
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107

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Current Students

Oghenerukevwe Akpoghiran
Oghenerukevwe.Apoghiran@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2020

Laboratory: TBD

Project: TBD


William Auerbacher
William.Auerbacher@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Summer 2022

Laboratory: TBD

Project: TBD


Jenna Aumiller
Jenna.Aumiller@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2020

Laboratory: Philip Wedegaertner, PhD

Project: TBD


Sarah Barndt
Sarah.Barndt@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2022

Laboratory: TBD

Project: TBD


Candice Bizzaro
Candice.Bizzaro@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Summer 2021

Laboratory: Matthew Schiewer, PhD

Project: TBD


Gina Buchel
Gina.Buchel@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Summer 2018

Laboratory: Dmitry Temiakov, PhD

Project: Studying the molecular mechanisms underlying human mitochondrial transcription and replication using biochemical and structural approaches.


Jenny Carey
Jenny.Carey@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2019

Laboratory: Lin Guo, PhD

Project: My project focuses on studying protein phase separation of ALS-associated protein FUS and developing RNAs to reverse aberrant phase transition.


Adi Caspi
Adi.Caspi@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2020

Laboratory: Scott Waldman, MD, PhD

Project: I study the guanylyl cyclase C (GCC) signaling axis in the context of colorectal cancer. 


Jacquelyn DePierro
Jacquelyn.DePierro@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2022

Laboratory: TBD

Project: TBD


Morgan Dwyer
Casey.Durso@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2022

Laboratory: TBD

Project: TBD


Morgan Dwyer
Morgan.Dwyer@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2018

Laboratory: Philip Wedegaertner, PhD

Project: TBD


Victoria Frisbie
Victoria.Frisbie@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Summer 2018

Laboratory: Erik Debler, PhD

Project: My project focuses on two methyltransferases essential to T. brucei’s survival and their recognition of Tb canonical and variant nucleosomes as substrates. To define this interaction, I use structural biochemistry techniques, such as enzymatic assays, x-ray footprinting, x-ray crystallography, and cryo-electron microscopy.


Melanie Goetz
Melanie.Goetz@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2020

Laboratory: Sara Meyer, PhD

Project: Studying the role of p300 in epigenetic mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML)


Justin Gumas
Justin.Gumas@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2019

Laboratory: Yohei Kirino, PhD

Project: Identification and functional characterization of angiogenin-induced 2’,3’-cyclic phosphate-containing RNAs in the context of ALS


Karl Herbine
Karl.Herbine@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Summer 2019

Laboratory: Dmitry Temiakov, PhD

Project: The purpose of my thesis project is to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of transcription initiation and processive elongation in human mitochondria using structural methods.


Eden Hornung
Eden.Hornung@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2019

Laboratory: Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, PhD

Project: TBD


Stephano Iglesias
Stephano.Iglesias@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2020

Laboratory: Gino Cingolani, PhD

Project: TBD 


Andrew Isopi
Andrew.Isopi@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2020

Laboratory: Gino Cingolani, PhD

Project: TBD 


Emily Kurtyan
Emily.Kurtyan@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Summer 2022

Laboratory: TBD

Project: TBD


Natalie Laspata
Natalie.Warner@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2019

Laboratory: Elise Fouquerel, PhD

Project: I study the role of DNA repair proteins in the maintenance of telomere integrity and genome stability.


Genevieve Lewis (MD/PhD)
Genevieve.Lewis@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Summer 2021

Laboratory: Emad Alnermi, PhD

Project: My project aims to elucidate the role of WNK1 signaling in macrophage inflammasome activation and how deregulation of this pathway leads to various inflammation-mediated pathologies.


Allison Lisberg
Allison.Lisberg@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Summer 2016

Laboratory: Diane Merry, PhD

Project: TBD


Annie Londregan
Anne.Londregan@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2021

Laboratory: Scott Waldman, MD, PhD

Project: TBD


Brittany Mahon
Brittany.Mahon@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2021

Laboratory: Christine Eischen, PhD

Project: TBD


Ian Mawn
Ian.Mawn@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2022

Laboratory: TBD

Project: TBD


Elizabeth McDuffie
Elizabeth.McDuffie@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2019

Laboratory: Charles Scott, PhD

Project: TBD


Henri McGuigan
Henri.McGuigan@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2021

Laboratory: Ya-Ming Hou, PhD

Project: TBD


Anthony Monte Carlo
Anthony.MonteCarlo@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2022

Laboratory: TBD

Project: TBD


Hailey Shankle
Hailey.Shankle@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2021

Laboratory: Steven McMahon, PhD

Project: TBD


Viktoriia Sokolova
Viktoriia.Sokolova@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2021

Laboratory: Dmitry Temiakov, PhD

Project: TBD


Lily Thompson
Lily.Thompson@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2020

Laboratory: Elise Fouquerel, PhD

Project: My project involves investigating the effect of oxidative stress at the centromere and how this contributes to chromosomal instability.


Mason Tracewell
Mason.Tracewell@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2018

Laboratory: Steven McMahon, PhD

Project: Investigating the mechanism behind USP22's impact on activator-driven transcription


Ivana Vukovic
Ivana.Vukovic@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculation Term: Fall 2016

Laboratory: Steven McMahon, PhD

Project: TBD 


Ruoyu Yang
Ruoyu.Yang@students.jefferson.edu

Matriculaton Term: Summer 2019

Laboratory: Gino Cingolani, PhD

Project: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a prevalent pathogen, but how it enters the nucleus remains unknown. My project is to test if HBV capsid shuttles through nuclear pore via classical nucleo-cytoplasmic transport.

2022/2023

Benjamin Barnhart
Advisor: Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, PhD

Thesis Title: Partial hepatectomy as a model of liver regeneration: Network-based profiles

Qingqing Cao
Advisor: Andrew South, PhD

Thesis Title: The Role of Type VII Collagen in Mediating Extracellular Matrix Protein Secretion in Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Current Position: TBD

Steven Doll
Advisor: Gino Cingolani, PhD

Thesis Title: Recognition of the TDP-43 Nuclear Localization Signal by importin α1/β

Current Position: TBD

Clinita Randolph
Advisor: Philip Wedegaertner, PhD

Thesis Title: Dissecting how interactions at the apex of HIV-1 Env modulate epitope exposure at the distant base of the glycoprotein

Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Drexel University

 

Abhimannyu Rimal 
Advisor: Edward Winter, PhD

Thesis Title: ISC10, A Developmentally Regulated Inhibitor Of Non-Canonical MAPK Signaling

Current Position: Genomic Developmental Specialist, University of Pennsylvania Health System

Hannah Schapiro
Advisor: Michael Root, MD, PhD

Thesis Title: Dissecting how interactions at the apex of HIV-1 Env modulate epitope exposure at the distant base of the glycoprotein

Current Position: Teaching Assistant Professor, Thomas Jefferson University, College of Life Sciences

 

Matthew Varney
Advisor: Jeffrey Benovic, PhD

Thesis Title: G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 6 (GRK6) Regulation of Insulin Processing and Secretion

2021/2022

Marina Farkas
Advisor: Steven McMahon, PhD

Thesis Title: Elucidating Mechanisms Mediating Genome Recognition and Cell Fate Determination by P53

Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain

 

Tyler J. Florio
Advisor: Gino Cingolani, PhD

Thesis Title: Mechanisms and Regulation of NF-kB Nuclear Import through Importin Isoforms

Current Position: Scientist II, Abzyme Therapeutic, Bristol, PA

 

Michael Joseph Ippolito
Advisor: Jeffrey Benovic, PhD

Thesis Title: Selective Activation of G Protein Signaling through the B2AR via Novel and Redefined Small Molecule Ligands

Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Substance Abuse Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Emanuela Dylgjeri-Kruser
Advisor: Karen Knudsen, PhD

Thesis Title: DNA-PK: Novel Roles in Metabolism and Therapeutic Targeting in Prostate Cancer

Dominic J. Lapadula
Advisor: Jeffrey Benovic, PhD

Thesis Title: Direct Inhibition of Oncogenic Gg/11 in Uveal Melanoma

Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Amy Catherine Mandigo
Advisor: Karen Knudsen, PhD

Thesis Title: E2F1 and Androgen Receptor Dysregulation Drives RB-deficient Cancer Progression

Lindsey Gail Mayes-Hopfinger
Advisor: Emad Alnemri, PhD

Thesis Title: Identifying WNK1 as a Negative Regulator of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Pyroptosis

Alison Rachel Moss
Advisor: Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, PhD

Thesis Title: Central and Peripheral Transcriptomic Networks Driving Cardiovascular Control

Austin David Parrish
Advisor: Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, PhD

Thesis Title: Systems-Level Analysis of Regulatory Networks Involved in Alcoholic Liver Disease

 

Azadeh Sarfallah
Advisor: Dmitry Temiakov, PhD

Thesis Title: Mechanism of Transcription Initiation and Primer Generation at the Mitochondrial Origin of Replication OriL

Sarah Sulon
Advisor: Jeffery Benovic, PhD

Thesis Title: Regulation of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 5 by Calmodulin

Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

 

Nicholas Anthony Swanson
Advisor: 
Gino Cingolani, PhD

Thesis Title: Structure of the Prototypical Podophage T7 DNA Ejectosome

Halley Rebecca Washburn
Advisor: Matthew Dalva, PhD

Thesis Title: Molecular Mechanisms of the EphB-NMDA Receptor Extracellular Interaction

2020/2021

Samantha Brown
Advisor: Jonathan Brody, PhD

Thesis Title: Beyond transcription: studying Human Antigen R (HuR/ELAVL1) and its role in post-transcriptionally regulating the pancreatic cancer-driver, Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1)

Mai Nguyen
Advisor: Andrew Aplin, PhD

Thesis Title: Optimizing MEK inhibitors in NRAS mutant melanoma - overcoming resistance and combination strategies

Sheera Rosenbaum
Advisor: Andrew Aplin, PhD

Thesis Title: The Role of Lineage-Specific Transcription Factors in Regulating Anti-Tumor Immune Responses in Melanoma