Faculty Mentors
Our goal is to make sure every student is able to find a place in a faculty member's lab. Please be sure to explore all of our faculty research interests to help get a better idea who you would like to work with while pursuing your degree.
Reilly Enos
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Sex differences in obesity and diabetes
Sex steroid physiology
Glucose and fatty-acid metabolism
Norma Frizzell
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Protein post-translational modification
Protein succination
Mitochondrial stress and disease
Metabolic disorders
Caryn Outten
Guy F. Lipscomb, Sr. Professor of Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Bioinorganic chemistry
Cytosolic and mitochondrial redox factors
Structure-function relationships of iron homeostasis proteins
F. Wayne Outten
Guy F. Lipscomb, Sr. Professor of Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Bioinorganic chemistry
Microbial physiology and genetics
Metal trafficking and storage systems
Qian Wang
Robert L. Sumwalt Professor of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Bioconjugation chemistry for biomedical applications
Modification and utilization of virus nanoparticles
Engineering of virus scaffolds for immunotherapy
Jie Li
Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Discovery and biological evaluation of human microbial metabolites
Natural product-based drug discovery
Natural products biosynthesis
Chuanbing Tang
University Eminent Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Polymer biomaterials
Antibiotic development
Antimicrobial materials
Deepak Bhere
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cancer therapeutics
Exosomal delivery of biologics
Cancer immunotherapies
Hexin Chen
Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Cancer stem cells
Tumor microenvironment
Tumor suppressor genes
Anti-cancer drugs
Lorne Hofseth
Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
Inflammation
Complimentary and alternative medicine
Colitis and colon cancer
Lydia Matesic
Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Ubiquitin ligases in development and disease
Cancer and metastasis
Cardiac hypertrophy and sudden cardiac death
Campbell McInnes
Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
Anti-cancer drug development
Cell cycle regulation
Guided design of peptide inhibitors
Angela Murphy
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Complimentary medicine and cancer
Macrophage-induced inflammation
High fat diet and breast cancer
Mitzi Nagarkatti,
Chair Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and Professor, School of
Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cancer immunology and immunotherapy
Biodefense
Immunopharmacology of cannabinoids
Immunotoxicology
Prakash Nagarkatti
Vice President for Research and Carolina Distinguished Professor, School of Medicine
Columbia
Research Interests:
Immunotoxicity of dioxin
Cannabinoids in cancer therapy
Complimentary medicine and inflammation
Maria Marjorette (Marj) Pena
Research Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Tumor microenvironment
Mechanisms of metastasis
Animal models of cancer
Douglas Pittman
Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
DNA repair mechanisms
Chromosome rearrangement
Swapan Ray
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration
Glioblastoma
Therapeutic approaches to spinal cord injury
David Reisman
Director for Colon Cancer Research Tissue Biorepository and Professor, College of
Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
p53 gene regulation and carcinogenesis
p53 and HIV-1 infection
Transcription factors
Igor Roninson
Endowed Chair and Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
DNA-damaging drugs
Cancer therapy outcomes
Function-based genomics approaches to cancer therapy
Deanna Smith
Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Regulators of cytoplasmic dynein
Molecular motors
Neuroscience
Kandy Velazquez
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cachexia
Pain
Natural supplements
Alan Waldman
Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Mechanisms of DNA repair
Genetic recombination
Mike Wyatt
Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
DNA repair and chromosome stability
Nanoparticles
DNA repair pathways and chemotherapy
Peisheng Xu
Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
Biomedical applications of engineered biomaterials
Central nervous system-targeting of nanomaterials
Nanoparticles as cancer treatment
Wayne Carver
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Regulation of fibrosis
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
Fibroblast development and differentiation
Colin Evans
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Lung and vascular biology
Inflammatory diseases, e.g., ARDS and thrombosis
Nanoparticles for endothelial gene editing and drug delivery
Daping Fan
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Mechanisms of atherosclerosis
Complimentary medicine
Inflammation
microRNAs in atherogenesis
Edie Goldsmith
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Extracellular matrix in heart development and disease
Nanomaterials as therapeutics
Diabetes-induced heart disease
Lydia Matesic
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Ubiquitin ligases in development and disease
Cancer and metastasis
Cardiac hypertrophy and sudden cardiac death
Martin Morad
Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Health and Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Calcium channels and heart function
Conduction system
Engineering a biological pacemaker
Jay Potts
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Heart valve development
Signal transduction
Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Frank Spinale
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Heart failure
Matrix metalloproteinases
Myocardial infarction
Cardiovascular disease biomarker development
Deepak Bhere
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cancer therapeutics
Exosomal delivery of biologics
Cancer immunotherapies
Bert Ely
Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Medical genetics
Bacterial genome evolution
Bioinformatics
Reilly Enos
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Sex differences in obesity and diabetes
Sex steroid physiology
Glucose and fatty-acid metabolism
Colin Evans
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Lung and vascular biology
Inflammatory diseases, e.g., ARDS and thrombosis
Nanoparticles for endothelial gene editing and drug delivery
Jason Kubinak
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Microbial pathogenesis
Humoral immunity
Antigen presentation
Roger Sawyer
Professor and Executive Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Integument development
Evolution off epidermal appendages
Genomics
Jeffery L. Twiss
Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of brain development and regeneration
Reilly Enos
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Sex differences in obesity and diabetes
Sex steroid physiology
Glucose and fatty-acid metabolism
Daping Fan
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Mechanisms of atherosclerosis
Complimentary medicine
Inflammation
microRNAs in atherogenesis
Angela Murphy
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Complimentary medicine and cancer
Macrophage-induced inflammation
High fat diet and breast cancer
Mitzi Nagarkatti
Professor and Chair Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of
Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cancer immunology and immunotherapy
Biodefense
Immunopharmacology of cannabinoids
Immunotoxicology
Prakash Nagarkatti
Carolina Distinguished Professor and Vice President for Research, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Immunotoxicity of dioxin
Cannabinoids in cancer therapy
Complimentary medicine and inflammation
Kandy Velazquez
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cachexia
Pain
Natural supplements
Kiesha Wilson
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Acute respiratory distress syndrome
Epigenetic regulation of inflammatory diseases
Complimentary medicine and inflammation
Wayne Carver
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Regulation of fibrosis
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
Fibroblast development and differentiation
Hui Chen
Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Embryo development
Cell fate specification
Genome regulation
Size regulation
Edie Goldsmith
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Extracellular matrix in heart development and disease
Nanomaterials as therapeutics
Diabetes-induced heart disease
Jay Potts
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Heart valve development
Signal transduction
Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Roger Sawyer
Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Integument development
Evolution off epidermal appendages
Genomics
Deanna Smith
Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Regulators of cytoplasmic dynein
Molecular motors
Neuroscience
Deepak Bhere
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cancer therapeutics
Exosomal delivery of biologics
Cancer immunotherapies
Colin Evans
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Lung and vascular biology
Inflammatory diseases, e.g., ARDS and thrombosis
Nanoparticles for endothelial gene editing and drug delivery
Daniel Foster
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Brain Circuits Involved in Psychiatric Disorders
The Role of the Striatum in Regulating Repetitive Behaviors
Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors and Cannabinoid Receptors as Novel Drug Targets
T. Chase Francis
Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
Synaptic plasticity
Neurobiological mechanisms of brain stimulation
Neural circuitry involved in mood, stress, and anxiety
Campbell McInnes
Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
Anti-cancer drug development
Cell cycle regulation
Guided design of peptide inhibitors
Alessandra Porcu
Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
Cellular circadian clock in psychiatric disorders
Neural circuits and molecular mechanisms of light in mood and cognition
Pharmacological characterization of allosteric modulators of GABAB receptors
Igor Roninson
Endowed Chair and Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
DNA-damaging drugs
Cancer therapy outcomes
Function-based genomics approaches to cancer therapy
Michael Shtutman
Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
DNA-damaging drugs
Cancer therapy outcomes
Function-based genomics approaches to cancer therapy
Qian Wang
Robert L. Sumwalt Professor of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Bioconjugation chemistry for biomedical applications
Modification and utilization of virus nanoparticles
Engineering of virus scaffolds for immunotherapy
Jie Li
Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Discovery and biological evaluation of human microbial metabolites
Natural product-based drug discovery
Natural products biosynthesis
Mike Wyatt
Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
DNA repair and chromosome stability
Nanoparticles
DNA repair pathways and chemotherapy
Peisheng Xu
Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
Biomedical applications of engineered biomaterials
Central nervous system-targeting of nanomaterials
Nanoparticles as cancer treatment
Wayne Carver
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Regulation of fibrosis
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
Fibroblast development and differentiation
Colin Evans
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Lung and vascular biology
Inflammatory diseases, e.g., ARDS and thrombosis
Nanoparticles for endothelial gene editing and drug delivery
Daping Fan
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Mechanisms of atherosclerosis
Complimentary medicine
Inflammation
microRNAs in atherogenesis
Jason Kubinak
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Microbial pathogenesis
Humoral immunity
Antigen presentation
Angela Murphy
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Complimentary medicine and cancer
Macrophage-induced inflammation
High fat diet and breast cancer
Mitzi Nagarkatti
Chair Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and Professor, School of
Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cancer immunology and immunotherapy
Biodefense
Immunopharmacology of cannabinoids
Immunotoxicology
Prakash Nagarkatti
Vice President for Research and Carolina Distinguished Professor, School of Medicine
Columbia
Research Interests:
Immunotoxicity of dioxin
Cannabinoids in cancer therapy
Complimentary medicine and inflammation
Carole Oskeritzian
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Mast cells
Sphingolipids
Regulation of mast cell enzymes and cytokines
Kandy Velazquez
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cachexia
Pain
Natural supplements
Kiesha Wilson
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Acute respiratory distress syndrome
Epigenetic regulation of inflammatory diseases
Complimentary medicine and inflammation
Jason Kubinak
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Microbial pathogenesis
Humoral immunity
Antigen presentation
James Fadel
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Aging, homeostasis and cognition
Hypocretin/Orexin neuropeptide system
Basal forebrain cholinergic system
Daniel Foster
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Brain Circuits Involved in Psychiatric Disorders
The Role of the Striatum in Regulating Repetitive Behaviors
Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors and Cannabinoid Receptors as Novel Drug Targets
Norma Frizzell
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Metabolic processes and protein modifications
Mitochondrial Stress in diabetes
Mitochondrial diseases like Leigh Syndrome
Claudia Grillo
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Neural mechanisms regulating food intake
Neurobiology of obesity
Fiona Hollis
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Brain mitochondrial function in healthy and stressed conditions
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Social and anxiety-related behaviors
Aaron Jasnow
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Neural mechanisms of fear learning and memory
Neurobiology of stress, anxiety disorders, and PTSD.
Sex differences and estrogen regulation of emotional behavior
Joe McQuail
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Age-related cognitive dysfunction and Alzheimer’s disease
Impacts of chronic stress across the lifespan
Neurobiological effects of a ketogenic diet
Ana Pocivavsek
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Sleep dysregulation in psychiatric disorders
Interactions between sleep and cognitive function
Kynurenine pathway of tryptophan degradation
David Mott
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia, Neuroscience Graduate Director
Research Interests:
Neural mechanisms of learning and memory
Modulation of neural circuits underlying motivated behaviors
Neurobiology of neuropsychiatric disorders and epilepsy
Sujit Pujhari
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Director, Viral Vector Core
Research Interests:
Development of viral vectors for modifying brain expression of proteins
Virology of mosquito-borne pathogen transmission
Larry Reagan
Professor and Vice Chair Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience,
School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Hippocampus
Stress and neuropsychiatric disorders
Insulin resistance, synaptic plasticity and cognition
Swapan Ray
Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration
Glioblastoma
Therapeutic approaches to spinal cord injury
Deanna Smith
Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Regulators of cytoplasmic dynein
Molecular motors
Neuroscience
Marlene Wilson
Professor and Chair Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Neural mechanisms of anxiety-related disorders
Sex differences in brain physiology and pathology
Individual differences in fear learning and extinction
Susan Wood
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Social Stress
Animal models of depression and PTSD
Neuroinflammatory mechanisms of stress susceptibility
Peisheng Xu
Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
Biomedical applications of engineered biomaterials
Central nervous system-targeting of nanomaterials
Nanoparticles as cancer treatment
Jun Zhu
Professor, College of Pharmacy
Research Interests:
Dopaminergic pathways in brain function
Dopamine transporter in HIV-1-induced brain dysfunction
Nicotine dependence
Daniel I. Speiser
Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Evolution of nervous systems
Visual neuroscience
Fabienne Poulain
Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Neurodevelopment
Neurodegenerative disorders
Zebrafish models
Jeffery L. Twiss
Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of brain development and regeneration
Kristy Welshhans
Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Connectivity in the nervous system during development
Neurodevelopmental basis of Down syndrome
Local translation of mRNAs during axon guidance
Lewis BowmanAssociate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
RNA silencing
Host defense
Beth Krizek
Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Flower development
Meristem development
Stem differentiation
Johannes Stratmann
Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Plant-herbivore interactions
Signal transduction
Ubiquitin-proteasome system
Zhengqing Fu Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Salicylic acid signaling in plant-pathogen interactions
Jason Kubinak
Associate Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Microbial pathogenesis
Humoral immunity
Antigen presentation
F. Wayne Outten
Guy F. Lipscomb, Sr. Professor of Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Bioinorganic chemistry
Microbial physiology and genetics
Metal trafficking and storage systems
Qian Wang
Robert L. Sumwalt Professor of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Interests:
Bioconjugation chemistry for biomedical applications
Modification and utilization of virus nanoparticles
Engineering of virus scaffolds for immunotherapy
Kiesha Wilson
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine Columbia
Research Interests:
Acute respiratory distress syndrome
Epigenetic regulation of inflammatory diseases
Complimentary medicine and inflammation