News & Spotlights

A proud native of Laredo, Texas, I obtained both my bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) as a first-generation college student. Growing up, I always had an appreciation for biology and chemistry, deciding from a very early age (5) that I wanted to enter the field for the privilege of wearing a lab coat. Over the years, my interest in biology shifted from the attire to a more defined field of study.

I am a postdoc in Dr. Guy Nir’s lab (Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology). My research, in collaboration with Prof. Michael Sheetz’s lab (UTMB) and Prof. Erez Lieberman Aiden’s lab (Baylor College of Medicine), explores the effect of the matrix rigidity sensor on genome organization and gene expression, from ensemble-level to single-level methods.

Inspired by the words from Nobel laureate Joshua Lederberg “We live in evolutionary competition with microbes-bacteria and viruses.

Currently I am a research scientist under the direction of Dr. Bill Russell in the Mass Spectrometry Facility (https://www.utmb.edu/MSF) within the Small Molecules division that focuses on metabolomics and lipidomics. My background is mostly in lipidomics, i.e. the application of mass spectrometry instruments and techniques to the study of lipids. I became interested in lipids through a combination of influences. For example, in my undergraduate career at St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) I had the opportunity to take part in an off-campus research opportunity that used electron tomography to image the cell membrane junction between conjugating Tetrahymena cells. Through my other classes I found the way that lipids fill multiple biological roles from structural (membranes, extracellular matrices), signaling molecules, and a source of energy to be fascinating.

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, USA and working in Dr. Whitney Yin Lab.

I am a postdoctoral researcher working under the guidance of Professor Michael Sheetz at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston. My work centers around investigating the role of mechanics in cellular senescence, tissue, and organism aging, and harnessing mechanical forces to enhance health and lifespan. My academic journey,

I pursued my PhD in biomedical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. The focus of my research was on developing trigger-responsive drug-loaded contrast agents for intra-articular imaging and therapy.

Growing up I spent most my time in the small creek behind my house. I found myself fascinated with biology and how something as beautiful as a fish can survive in a small nearly stagnant pool of water. This inspired me to begin to raise my own fish in a fish tank and obtain a degree in marine biology.

I am a Research Scientist in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas, USA and working with Prof. Linda J. Kenney. I earned my doctoral degree in 2016 from the School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India under the supervision of Dr. Sobhan Sen.

Originally from a small town in southern Ohio, I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biomedical sciences at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. After completing the pre-clinical education in Medical School, I realized the clinical focus was not my passion and began to explore other paths.

I am a second-year Ph.D. student in the Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology program in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology track. Prior to coming to UTMB, I conducted research on emerging avian retroviruses and taught course-based research experiences about bacteriophage isolation and characterization.

I started as a postdoctoral fellow in Mariano Garcia-Blanco’s lab in 2021 where I am focusing on unravelling the mechanisms of DEAD-box RNA helicase 39B (DDX39B) function in RNA alternative splicing. I completed my PhD from National University of Singapore where we were looking at microRNAs as therapeutic targets for mitigating vasculopathy during dengue.

Dr. Schein received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Biochemistry with several minors, her MSc from MIT in biochemical engineering, and a PhD in Industrial Microbiology/Biotechnology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich Switzerland (ETHZ).

Dr. John Papaconstantinou received his PhD in biochemistry at Johns Hopkins University and continued his training as a postdoctoral fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington in Baltimore, Maryland. Following teaching appointments at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Georgia, he was recruited to the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in 1979. Dr. Papaconstantinou is currently a tenured professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and is the Bertha and Robert Bucksch Distinguished Research Professor of Aging.

I was trained as an analytical chemist at TAMU with a focus on surface science but have happily spent the last 12 years doing various types of biological research at UTMB.