Current Fellows
Andrea Rivera
- 2022-2024
Andrea Rivera is a senior studying Biomedical Engineering. As part of Dr. Joshua Hutcheson's Cardiovascular Matrix Remodeling Lab, she investigates aortic valve disease, specifically from a biomechanical standpoint. Her project focuses on optimizing a mouse aortic valve leaflet tensile testing method. Andrea recently participated in the Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Program at the University of Minnesota as part of Dr. Robert Tranquillo's lab, where her project consisted of comparing the growth between a tissue-engineered vascular graft and a standard, non-regenerative graft from a preclinical study. She is currently applying to doctoral programs.
Christian Castellanos
- 2022-2024
- Christian is a senior Undergraduate earning a degree in Biological Science. He works in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine studying small molecule anticancer drug development and treatments for breast cancer under Dr. Alexander Agoulnik and his lab. His research entails the restructuring of stromal barrier of tumors, immune system reprogramming and the reduction of drug resistant cancer subtypes. He hopes that his research highlights the importance of global health issues and that by doing so he may help as many people as he can. Christian was awarded the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship in 2023 for his achievements and intends to pursue a PhD in immunology and infectious disease. Summer Research Experience 2023 Christian was a part of MIT’s Summer Research Program in Biology this past summer in 2023, where he worked in Dr. Sebastian Louridos lab working with Toxoplasma gondii pathogens and developing new methodologies of fixation and visualization for these parasites.
Thomas Silva
- 2022-2024
- Thomas Silva is majoring in Biological Sciences and Natural & Applied Sciences at Florida International University and is currently conducting research for his thesis project in Dr. Liu’s lab, where he focuses on the role of manganese as an environmental toxic metal in RNA synthesis by DNA polymerases. In the summer of 2023, Thomas attended MIT’s Bernard S. and Sophie G. Gould Summer Research Program in Biology and Neuroscience (BSG-MSRP-Bio). After graduation, Thomas plans to pursue a PhD in the biomedical sciences, with a particular interest in neuroscience.
- 2022-2024
Diana Lima
- 2022 - 2024
- Diana Lima is a transfer student from Miami Dade College, where she earned her Associate of Arts in Chemical Engineering. At FIU, she is working towards a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and is a member of the honors college. Currently, Diana is part of Dr. Miksovska’s laboratory in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. Her research focuses on using the application of photoacoustic calorimetry, transient absorption, and autoxidation studies to investigate the effects viscosity would have on the ligand binding and kinetics of the Globin X protein.
Isabella Milanes
- 2022-2024
Isabella Milanes is a senior undergraduate student in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and Minor in Computer Science. She is currently working with Dr. Jessica Liberles and her team on projects involving computational and structural biology that leverage algorithmic capabilities to analyze genomic data. She spent her summer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology working under the guidance of Mehrdad Jazayeri computationally modeling the visual short term and long term memory systems.
Jocelyne Yataco
- 2022-2024
- Jocelyne Yataco is majoring in Electrical Engineering and belongs to the Honors college at Florida International University. She has worked in Dr. Ou Bai’s Human Cyber-Physical Systems Lab since January 2022. Her research focuses on developing an empathetic Socially Assistive Robot for mental health support that performs personality matching with Deep Learning. Jocelyne plans on pursuing an MD/Ph.D in NeuroEngineering after graduating from FIU in 2024 Jocelyne participated in the University of Minnesota’s Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Program pre-Medical Scientist Training Program, where she worked at Dr. Alik Widge’s Translational NeuroEngineering Laboratory to understand how to target circuits that are involved in cognitive flexibility by developing a rat model of optogenetic DBS. This study will pave the way to precisely target the circuits involved in OCD.
Karam Abilmouna
- 2023 - 2025
- Karam is a Behavioral Neuroscience and Natural & Applied Sciences major within the Honors College here at FIU. He is also a member of Dr. Tomás Guilarte’s Brain, Behavior, and Environment Laboratory within the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. His project focuses on characterizing neuropathological changes in the hindbrain of SLC39A14(please italicize the gene)-KO mice as a model of manganese-induced dystonia-parkinsonism.
Melanie Gavilanes
- 2023 - 2025
- Melanie Gavilanes is a passionate biomedical engineering junior passionate about integrating biomechanics and tissue engineering to develop innovative biomedical devices. Growing up in Ecuador, Melanie witnessed the pain endured by atherosclerotic vascular patients lacking access to life-saving devices. This experience ignited Melanie's desire to develop low-cost technologies for failing organs, particularly the heart and liver. Melanie has also contributed to the monitoring and preventing of Legionnaires disease through molecular detection methods. During summer 2023, Melanie conducted groundbreaking research on soft-robotics for drug delivery systems at MIT's Traverso Lab in the Mechanical Engineering Department. As a MARC fellow at FIU, Melanie is exploring transformative solutions for health monitoring using biomedical wearable devices at the PozdinLab, Electrical Engineering department. Committed to inspiring future scientists, Melanie actively participates in STEM outreach activities and hackathons. Melanie envisions a future of wearable biomedical devices at the intersection of vascular biology and medical engineering. With an unwavering dedication to diversity and integrity, Melanie aims to empower minorities around the world and inspire future young scientists to pursue their dreams.
Nayeric Cairo
- 2023 - 2025
- Nayeric is double majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychology and is part of the Honors College. She is currently working in Dr. Fabian Soto’s Computational Cognitive Neuroscience lab studying how associative learning using fear conditioning affects face perception, which could help understand the mechanisms that contribute to abnormal responses that underlie psychopathological disorders. Nayeric plans to pursue a Ph.D in Neuroscience. Nayeric participated in the Summer Internship Program at the National Institutes of Health, where she worked at the Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, investigating the automatic access to stored categorical level information of motion across object categories and the extent to which this access varies as a function of object orientation and priming, with the ultimate goal of better understanding the different visual processing mechanisms of object recognition and categorization, as well as the impact learning has on these processes.
Sofia Agudelo
- 2023 - 2025
- Sofia is double majoring in Biochemistry and Biological Sciences. She has worked in Dr. Tse Dinh Topoisomerase lab since May 2021. Her research project investigates small molecule inhibitors against Human Topoisomerase IB, due to its role in cancer replication and sepsis. Sofia plans to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology after she graduates in 2025.
Daniela Alvarado
- 2023 - 2025
- Daniela Alvarado is an undergraduate junior majoring in Biological Sciences in the College of Arts, Sciences, & Education. She currently work with Dr. Sharan Ramaswamy’s Cardiovascular Therapeutics Lab in the department of biomedical engineering on projects involving the creation of tissue engineered heart valves for the treatment of heart valve disease in pediatric patients. Her research project specifically focuses on investigating and quantifying the inflammatory and immunological response elicited by tissue engineered heart valves when exposed to human immune system cells. She had the opportunity to participate in FIU’s Summer Research Internship program in Summer 2023 where she focused on cardiovascular research. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree, she plans on pursuing a Ph.D. Her research interests include stem cell/regenerative medicine and cellular biology.
Recent MARC U*STAR Graduates
Alejandra Ramos
At FIU, Alejandra worked in the Chambers Lab at FIU, where she investigated the JNK signaling pathway and its relationship with mitochondrial dysfunction and Parkinson’s Disease. Alejandra graduated in the Spring 2022 semester with a bachelor’s in science in Biochemistry and another one in Natural and Applied Sciences. She is now attending MIT pursuing a Ph.D. in Biology as a Dean of Science Fellow.
Ana Ruas
Ana graduated from Florida International University in April 2022 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a B.A. in English Literature. She completed her Biology Honors thesis in the lab of Dr. Deodutta Roy, where she investigated the role of the transcription factor NRF1 in the progression and aggression of ovarian cancer. Ana has begun working with cardiologist Dr. Jorge Bordenave as his medical assistant (MA) to gain more clinical experience before applying for admission to M.D./Ph.D. programs. She also continues her role on the FIU URJ Editorial Board and serves as a Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Leader for Biology students enrolled in General Biology II and General Microbiology courses.
Andy Garcia
Andy Garcia is a graduate student at New York University. He is currently rotating in Gyuri Buzsaki’s lab as he decides which labhe will be doing his Ph.D. in neuroscience in. He recently (10/07/22) had a paper submitted in Nature with research conducted for his undergraduate thesis through the MARC U*STAR program under Dr. Timothy Allen. His research was also used to create a Biology Honors thesis, which he defended at the end of his senior year.
Celeste Marin
Celeste graduated from FIU with a BS in Biochemistry. During her time at FIU, she completed her honors thesis work which proposed a link between the base excision repair pathway and mutations found in oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes associated with Prostate Cancer. Currently, Celeste is a first-year graduate student at Duke University working toward her Biochemistry Ph.D. She has joined the Nicchitta Lab and Hargrove Lab under a co-mentorship where she aims to bridge the understanding between RNA localization and granule assembly by studying RNA tertiary structure. Celeste is the Vice president of the Biochemistry Graduate Student Council (BGSC) and is involved in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) committee at Duke.
Christina Roca
- 2021-2023
- Christina is currently pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience and Natural & Applied Sciences with a minor in Psychology at Florida International University (FIU) in 2023. Christina graduated from the Honors College with Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa distinctions. In the spring of 2023, she completed and presented her undergraduate honors thesis on the research she performed at Dr. Timothy Allen’s lab at FIU studying the role thalamic optogenetic input on neuronal activity in the prefrontal-hippocampal circuit.
Javonte Thelwell
- 2021-2023
- Javonte is currently a first year Ph.D. student at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences on the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) track in Rochester, MN. He has been awarded the Dean’s Fellowship at his current institution and is an IMSD fellow. Javonte earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Bachelor of Arts in Natural & Applied Sciences at Florida International University (FIU) in 2023. He graduated from the Honors College with Cum Laude and completed his honors thesis titled, “The effect of oxidative DNA damage on the gene expression DNA Repair proteins in human cells” regarding his work done in the laboratory of Dr. Yuan Liu at FIU.
Melanie Perez
- 2021-2023
- Melanie is working towards her Biology and Natural & Applied Sciences double major under the Honors College and QBIC program. She has worked in Dr. Wenrui Duan’s cancer genetics lab since July 2020. Her research focuses on the influence of KRAS mutations on tumor resistance in a transgenic non-small cell lung cancer mice model treated with PRIMA-1. She is currently being co-mentored by Dr. DeEtta Mills on her undergraduate thesis through the Honors in Biology program. Melanie plans on pursuing an MD/Ph.D. in Cancer Biology/Genetics after graduating from FIU in 2023.
Ra'Mal Harris
Ra'Mal Harris is a post-baccalaureate working and attending classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) until 2024. He works with Dr. Matthew D. Shoulders in the Shoulders lab studying Directed Evolution in Mammalian Cells using Human Adenovirus. He is supported in his work by the "Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research" from the NIH. He was chosen for and awarded this supplement in August 2022. He will be applying to graduate school to pursue his Ph.D. after the training period for this award expires. Ra'Malhas graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Florida International University (FIU), submitting an undergraduate thesis titled "Differentiating Sensory and Motor Axons for LIFE Implantation." He worked in the lab of Dr. Ranu Jung, where he started this research, and in the lab of Dr. Joshua Hutcheson, where he completed it. He has also completed numerous summer programs at institutions such as FIU, Michigan State University (MSU), and MIT.
Sophia Gandarillas
Sophia Gandarillas is a first-year medical student at Wayne State University School of Medicine, where she was accepted to pursue an MD. She currently holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with Honors, a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, a minor in Spanish, and a minor in Chemistry from Florida International University. She graduated from the Honors College with Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa distinctions. In the spring of 2022, she completed and presented her honors thesis titled “The role of POMT1 in melanoma metastasis” regarding her work done in the laboratory of Dr. Lidia Kos from Florida International University.
Tyler Sanford
- 2021-2023
- Tyler is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Florida International University (FIU). Tyler is under the mentorship and guidance of Dr. Mauricio Rodreguiez-Lanetty of the Integrative Marine Genomics of Symbiosis (IMaGeS) lab. He is in the Undergraduate to Graduate Fellowship program. He graduated from FIU in 2023 with his bachelor’s in biology and Natural & Applied Sciences. Tyler also graduated from the honors college and received the Phi Beta Kappa distinction.
Past Fellows
- Alejandra Ramos
- 2020 -2022
- Ph.D. Student, Biochemistry, MIT
- Ana Ruas
- 2020 - 2022
- Applying to MD/ Ph.D. Programs
- Andy Garcia
- 2020 - 2022
- Ph.D. Student, New York University
- Celeste Marin
- 2020 - 2022 Fellow
- Ph.D. Student, Biochemistry, Duke University
- Ra'Mal Harris
- 2020 - 2022 Fellow
- Post-Baccalaureate Program at MIT
- Sophia Gandarillas
- 2020-2022 Fellow
- Wayne State University
- Amanda Barreto
- 2019 - 2021 Fellow
- Ph.D. Student, Biomedical Engineering, Duke University
- Daniel Cambron
- 2019 - 2021 (Affiliate | Provost Research Scholar)
- IRTA Postbaccalaureate Fellow | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- MS Student, University of Florida Microbiology and Cell Science
- Nicole Diaz
- 2019 - 2021 Fellow
- IRTA Postbaccalaureate Fellow | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- Medical Lab Technician | CDR Maguire
- Kaitlyn Alzugaray
- 2019 - 2021 (Affiliate | Provost Research Scholar)
- Alexandra Tchir
- 2018-2020 Fellow
- Ph.D. Student | Medical Engineering and Medical PhysicsHarvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology
- Erika Lozano
- 2018-2020 Fellow
- Admitted to Ph.D. Program | University of Toronto
- Jesenia Perez
- 2018-2020 Fellow
- Ph.D. Student | Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Minnesota
- Maria Santiago
- 2018-2020 Fellow
- Ph.D. Student | Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University
- NIH T32 Fellow 2020
- Matthew Pasteris
- 2018-2020 Fellow
- Sarah Colon
- 2018-2020 Fellow
- Ph.D. Student | Molecular Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder
- Camila Sarcone (Affiliate | Provost Research Scholar)
- 2017-2019
- Joan Glenny-Pescov
- 2017-2018 Fellow
- Ph.D. Student | Biomedical Sciences, University of Miami
- Jovany Betancourt (Affiliate | Provost Research Scholar)
- 2017-2019 Affiliate
- Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Student | University of Minnesota
- Kiani Oro
- 2017-2018 Fellow
- Graduate Student | New York University (NYU) Steinhardt
- Alexander Durango
- 2016-2018 Fellow
- Ph.D. Student | Neuroscience Stanford University
- Daniela Alvarez
- 2016-2018 Fellow
- EDGE Research Fellow | University of California Irvine Graduate Research Program
- Graduate Research Fellowship Recipient 2019
- Karla Montejo
- 2016-2018 Fellow
- Ph.D. Student | Brain and Cognitive Sciences Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Mariluz Soula
- 2016-2018 Fellow
- Graduate Student | David Rockefeller Graduate Program in Bioscience
- HHMI Gilliam Fellowship Recipient 2020
- Haroldo Rodriguez (2015-2016 Affiliate)
- 2016-2017 Fellow
- Ph.D. Student | Molecular Medicine & Mechanisms of Disease, University of Washington
- Joseph Hernandez (2015-2016 Affiliate)
- 2016-2017 Fellow
- Angie Estrada
- 2014-2016 Fellow
- Brian Ho
- 2014-2016 Fellow
- Graduate Student | Stanford University Microbiology & Immunology
- Janiel Ahkin Chin-Tai
- 2014-2016 Fellow
- Ph.D. Candidate | Purdue University
- Jiali Lei
- 2014-2016 Fellow
- Translational Medicine, University of California, Berkley & San Francisco
- Intern | Genentech
- Marisol Soula
- 2014-2016 Fellow
- Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Student | New York School of Medicine’s Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences
- Ricardo Perez-Dulzaides
- 2014-2016 Fellow
- Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)| Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Daniel Gonzalez
- 2013-2014
- Aneysis Gonzalez
- 2012-2014
- Chavely Valdez-Sanchez
- 2012-2014
- Liana Apolis
- 2012-2014
- Patricia Theard
- 2012-2014
- Richard Barrios
- 2012-2014
- Daniel Tapanes
- 2011-2013
- Heysell Ortiz
- 2011-2013
- Ivana Lamboglia
- 2011-2013
- Ivonne Lollet
- 2011-2013
- Ruslan Garcia
- 2011-2013
- Kymberlee Osborne
- 2011-2013
- Alana Van Dervort
- 2010-2012
- Daniel Lumpuy
- 2010-2012
- James Ortega
- 2010-2012
- James Roach
- 2010-2012
- Nathalie Rivero
- 2010-2012
- Abner Murray
- 2009-2011
- Genesis Perez
- 2009-2011
- Jacqueline Zayas
- 2009-2011
- Katherine Leonard
- 2009-2011
- Laura Cabrera
- 2009-2011
- Tram Ta
- 2009-2011
- Ana Pena
- 2008-2010
- Eric Maranda
- 2008-2010
- Jackie Rodriguez
- 2008-2010
- Juan Molina
- 2008-2010
- Laura Florez
- 2008-2010
- Myron Evans
- 2008-2010