Below are active research project descriptions from graduate faculty who are accepting new laboratory rotation students for the current academic year (2026–2027). This directory is updated annually each summer and serves as a primary reference for incoming and rotating graduate students seeking a faculty research mentor.
Rotation Note: Rotating graduate students should review laboratory space, active grant funding, and mentor availability before finalizing their rotation schedules.
Faculty Research Focuses & Project Descriptions
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Biomedical Sciences Faculty Rotations (Lubbock Campus) Faculty Mentor Research Focus & Project Description Key Research Areas Nikolay Aleksashin, Ph.D. Research focuses on the mechanisms regulating protein synthesis and translational control, particularly how cellular stress conditions, such as hypoxia, affect ribosome function and protein production. Approaches include engineered cells, cell-free translation systems, and genome-wide analyses. Protein Synthesis, Translation Regulation, Ribosomes, Cellular Stress, Hypoxia, Cell-Free Translation Sharilyn Almodovar, Ph.D. Research focuses on the effects of HIV infection on pulmonary and neurovascular cell biology, examining mechanisms of inflammation, vascular remodeling, and host-pathogen interactions. Additional research includes HIV reservoirs, substance use disorders, cancer biology, and neuropathic pain signaling. HIV Reservoirs, Endothelial and Smooth Muscle Cells, Airway Epithelial Cells, Neurovascular Unit, Vascular Remodeling, Constriction, Hypoxia, Cell Culture, scRNAseq, Spatial Transcriptomics, Spheroids. Jeremy Bailoo, Ph.D.* Research focuses on how genetic and environmental factors influence health and welfare across the lifespan using animal models. Key areas include the effects of environmental toxins on neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, the impact of laboratory animal care and housing on research outcomes, and the development of behavioral assessment methods to advance biomedical research and animal welfare. Animal Welfare, Animal Cognition, Behavioral Neuroscience,Environmental Toxicology, Research Ethics and Policy Boris Decourt, Ph.D.* Research focuses on developing pharmacological treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Translational approaches include drug testing in cell cultures and animal models, clinical trials, and analysis of human biofluid samples to identify and develop biomarkers. Alzheimer's disease, biomarker development, cell cultures, clinical trials, dementia, drug development, multiple sclerosis, rural cohort, transgenic mice Jannette Dufour, Ph.D.* Research focuses on the immunomodulatory properties of Sertoli cells and their potential to improve the survival of transplanted insulin-producing cells. Additional research explores the underlying mechanisms of diabetes and the use of bioactive compounds for diabetes treatment. Sertoli Cells, Immune Regulation, Transplantation, Diabetes, Islets Petar Grozdanov, Ph.D. Research focuses on mRNA processing in the brain, particularly the role of alternative polyadenylation in regulating gene expression associated with cognition, neurodegenerative disorders, and addiction. Alternative polyadenylation, bioinformatics, sc/snRNA-Seq, animal behavior, molecular biology, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry Lan Guan, M.D., Ph.D.* Research focuses on the role of nutrient transporters in maintaining health and their involvement in disease development and progression. CryoEM, X-ray Crystallography, Ion-coupled Transport Biochemistry, Mechanisims, Conformation Change and Dynamics Josee Guindon, D.V.M., Ph.D.* Research focuses on the mechanisms regulating acute, chronic, and cancer-related pain pathways, with an emphasis on physiological processes and the use of reference and endocannabinoid compounds to modulate pain. Inflammatory, surgical, chemotherapy and cancer pain models; behavioral pharmacology; immunohistochemistry; molecular biology Daniel Hardy, Ph.D.* Research focuses on the biochemistry and cell biology of fertilization, the role of reproductive protein evolution in species divergence, sex differences in connective tissue maintenance and repair, and protein disease transmission within and between species. Species-specificity; molecular evolution; cell adhesion; matrix metalloproteinases; gene expression profiling; micro-RNAs; prion disease Min Kang, Pharm.D.* Research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in pediatric cancers. Chemoresistance; pediatric cancers; molecular pharmacology; BCL-2; MYC Andrey Karamyshev, Ph.D.* Research focuses on protein synthesis and transport and their roles in neurodegenerative diseases, cystic fibrosis, and cancer, using molecular biology, RNA sequencing, proteomics, and bioinformatics. Molecular and cellular biology; biochemistry; bioinformatics; deep RNA sequencing; proteomics; human diseases; neurodegenerative disorders; Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases; Frontotemporal Dementia; cancer; translational control; protein synthesis; ribosome; RNA stability Zemfira Karamysheva, Ph.D.* Research investigates translational control in parasites and mammals, including mechanisms of parasite pathogenesis, drug resistance, and the effects of environmental toxicants on neurodegenerative diseases. Leishmania parasites, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, macrophage infection, antimony drug resistance, ribosome specialization, polysome profiling, environmental stressors, neuronal cell lines, bioinformatics, deep RNA-seq, proteomics. Balakrishna Koneru, Ph.D.* Research focuses on developing novel cancer therapeutics targeting alternative lengthening of telomeres in osteosarcoma, including drug combinations and antibody-drug conjugates. Osteosarcoma, Pediatric Cancers, Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres, Telomere Maintenance Mechanisms, Antibody Drug Conjugates , Novel Drugs and Combinations Soo Chan Lee, Ph.D.* Research investigates fungal infections, focusing on mechanisms of virulence, pathogenesis, drug resistance, and host-pathogen interactions. Mucormycosis, Drug Resistance, Fungal Calcineurin and Pathogenesis, Mycobiome Dawei Li, Ph.D. Research focuses on bioinformatics and computational genomics, including genomic sequencing analysis, integrative multi-omics, transposable elements, and the development of computational pipelines. Genomics; Sequencing; Bioinformatics; Data-analysis; Software Development Henry Liang, Ph.D. Research focuses on developing novel antimicrobials and cancer therapeutics, with additional emphasis on drug delivery, membrane biology, and bioengineering. Antibiotics and biofilms; drug delivery; biomembranes and biomimetic membranes; membrane protein bionanotechnology Malaiyalam Mariappan, Ph.D.* Research investigates protein synthesis, folding, and quality control in mammalian cells, focusing on how disruptions in protein homeostasis contribute to cancer, type 2 diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders. Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress, The Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), ER-associated Protein Degradation (ERAD), Ubiquitin-mediated protein quality control, Autophagy, Neurodegenerative diseases, type 2 Diabetes Marcos Matamoros, Ph.D. Research focuses on the structural dynamics of ion channels, examining membrane protein function, selectivity, gating mechanisms, lipid regulation, and drug interactions at the single-molecule level. Single-molecule fluorescence techniques, protein biochemistry, membrane protein biophysics, structural biology, electrophysiology. Srinivas Nandana, Ph.D.* Research investigates signaling mechanisms driving prostate cancer metastasis and therapy resistance, including exosomal communication between tumors and the bone microenvironment. Prostate Cancer, Signaling Mechanisms, Bone Metastasis, Exosomes, Therapy Resistance, Steroid Nuclear Receptors, Mouse models of prostate cancer progression and metastasis Xue Wen Ng, Ph.D. Research focuses on membrane dynamics and receptor signaling in pancreatic islet cells, examining their roles in hormone secretion, glucose regulation, and the development of diabetes therapeutics. Pancreatic islets, Diabetes, Animal models, Protein-protein interactions, Membrane receptor dynamics and signaling, Intercellular islet communication, Calcium imaging, Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy (FFS), Confocal microscopy, TIRF microscopy, Super-resolution microscopy, Molecular biology, Cell biology Kumar Palle, Ph.D.* Research focuses on cancer biology and the development of novel therapeutic approaches. Cancer biology; therapeutics development; ovarian cancer; breast cancer; kidney cancer; colorectal cancer C. Patrick Reynolds, M.D., Ph.D.* Research focuses on developing cancer therapeutics, including biomarkers, small-molecule drugs, and immunotherapies. Childhood and adult cancers: neuroblastoma, brain tumors, sarcomas, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer ; telomere maintenance mechanisms; p53; monoclonal antibody immunotherapy; retinoids; targeting DNA repair; liquid biopsy cfDNA biomarkers. Manisha Tripathi, Ph.D.* Research investigates the role of the cellular microenvironment in the development and progression of prostate diseases, including benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Prostate Cancer, Tumor Microenvironment, Disease Associates Fibroblasts, Disease Associated Macrophages Ina Urbatsch, Ph.D.* Research focuses on drug binding and transport mechanisms in P-glycoprotein, alongside protein engineering approaches to improve cystic fibrosis gene therapy. ABC transporter function; multidrug resistance protein (MDR1); cancer drug resistance; mutational analysis; biochemical and biophysical assays; enzyme kinetics; cystic fibrosis, protein folding; genetic disease; gene replacement therapy Hongmin Wang, Ph.D. Research investigates protein homeostasis in Alzheimer's disease and neuronal injury following stroke, with an emphasis on therapeutic development. Neurodegeneration; Neuroprotection; Aging; Ubiquitin-Proteasome System; Protein Degradation; Stroke; Therapy; Drug Mumtaz Yaseen, Ph.D. Research focuses on immune regulation, including the effects of radiofrequency exposure on immune cells and mechanisms of T-cell exhaustion in cancer and chronic infections, to support therapeutic development. Immunology, Cancer Immunotherapy, T and NK cell exhaustion, CAR-T/NK therapy, Retroviral gene expression, Xenograft mouse models, Vaccine, RadioFrequency Electromagneitc Field (RF-EMF) -
Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Rotations (Amarillo & Abilene) Faculty Mentor Campus Research Focus & Project Description Key Research Areas Thomas Abbruscato, Ph.D. Amarillo Blood-brain barrier transport physiology, neurovascular protection in ischemic stroke, and central nervous system impact of emerging tobacco and nicotine products. Blood-Brain Barrier, Stroke, Brain Drug Delivery, Nicotine Neurovascular Impact Nadezhda German, Ph.D. Amarillo Design, synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation of novel small molecules, cannabinoid ligands, and opioid modulators for CNS disorders and chronic pain. Medicinal Chemistry, Cannabinoids, Opioids, Neuroinflammation, Chronic Pain Magdalena Karbowniczek, M.D., Ph.D. Abilene Notch signaling, extracellular vesicles/exosomes, and pre-metastatic niche regulation in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), LAM, and renal cell carcinoma. Exosomes, Tumor Immunology, Tuberous Sclerosis, Cancer Metastasis Maciej Markiewski, M.D., Ph.D. Abilene Role of the complement system and innate immunity in cancer-driven immunosuppression, tumor microenvironments, and novel complement-based immunotherapies. Complement Biology, Tumor Immunology, Cancer Immunotherapy, Innate Immunity Samuel Obeng, Ph.D.* Amarillo Discovery and preclinical behavioral pharmacology of novel GPCR ligands and therapeutics for opioid use disorders, respiratory depression, and chronic pain. Opioid Addiction, GPCR Assays, Substance Use Disorders, Behavioral Pharmacology Sanjay Srivastava, Ph.D. Abilene Overcoming chemoresistance in pancreatic, breast, and brain tumors through drug repurposing and transforming immunologically "cold" tumors into "hot" tumors. Drug Repurposing, Chemoresistance, Tumor Microenvironment, Cancer Therapeutics Todd Triplett, Ph.D. Abilene T-cell immunology in pediatric leukemias (T-ALL) and engineering cell-based cancer immunotherapies within suppressive tumor microenvironments. T-Cell Immunology, Leukemia, Pediatric Oncology, Cancer Immunotherapy Ming-Hai Wang, M.D., Ph.D. Amarillo Preclinical engineering, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting receptor tyrosine kinases for cancer treatment. Antibody-Drug Conjugates, Tyrosine Kinases, Targeted Biotherapeutics Jenny Wilkerson, Ph.D.* Amarillo Impact of sex hormones on post-operative pain development, neuropharmacology of drug addiction, and natural product pharmacology. Pain Neuropharmacology, Sex Differences, Natural Products, Addiction
GSBS Annual Retreat: Faculty Research Presentations
Watch faculty members give brief overview presentations of their ongoing research programs, laboratory methodologies, and rotation availability.