Postdoctoral Fellows

Vandana Gaded, Ph.D. Structural Biology, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Chuanxin Guo, Ph.D. Chemistry, Kyoto University

Kazumitsu Onizuka, Ph.D., Kyushu University

Kripa Keerthi, Ph.D. University of Missouri, Columbia

Prasanna Jayaleth, Ph.D. University of Illinois, Chicago

Eduardo A. Véliz, Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry, U. of Kansas.

Fai-Chu Wang, Ph.D., Chemistry, U. of Minnesota

Graduate Students

Dr. Casey Jacobsen (Ph.D. 2023), Thesis title: Development and Application of Oligonucleotide Assays for Site-Directed RNA Editing

Dr. Agya Karki (Ph.D. 2023), Thesis title:

Dr. Herra Mendoza, (Ph.D. 2023), Thesis title: Probing ADAR-RNA Interactions for the Rational Design
of Human ADAR Family-Specific Modulators

Dr. Hannah Brinkman, (Ph.D. 2023), Thesis title: “The Effect of Nucleoside Analogs in Guide Oligonucleotides Directing ADAR Editing and Brief Insights Gained from Pedagogy Training”

Dr. Erin Doherty, (Ph.D. 2022), Thesis title: “Rational Design of Oligonucleotide Guide Strands for Site-Directed RNA Editing”

Dr. Alexander Thuy-Boun, (Ph.D. 2022), Thesis title: “Structural and Functional Study of Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA”

Dr. Kevin Pham, (Ph.D. 2022), Thesis title: “Studies of Chemically Modified Oligonucleotides Towards RNA-Binding Proteins”

Dr. SeHee Park, (Ph.D. 2020), Thesis title: “Understanding Unique Features of Human Adenosine Deaminases Acting on RNA”

Dr. Leanna Monteleone, (Ph.D. 2020), Thesis title: “Structural Engineering of Adenosine Deaminases Acting on RNA with Chemically Modified Guide RNAs for Site-Directed RNA Editing”

Dr. Cody Palumbo, (Ph.D. 2019), Thesis title: “Nucleoside Analogs to Stabilize RNA-Protein Interactions”

Dr. Tiannan Hu, (Ph.D. 2019), Thesis title: “Improving siRNA Specificity with Guanosine Nucleobase Modifications: TLR8 Response and miRNA-like Off-Target Effect”

Madeline Mumbleau, (M.S. 2019), Thesis title: “Defining the Structure-Activity Relationships of Chemically Modified RNAs”

Dr. Scott Suter, (Ph.D. 2018), Thesis title: “The Design and Study of Chemically Modified RNA for RNA Interference and RNA Editing Using Structure Guided Approaches”

Dr. Yuxuan Zheng, (Ph.D. 2017), Thesis title: “Substrate Recognition and Novel Substrate Discovery for Human Adenosine Deaminase that Acts on Double-Stranded RNA”

Dr. Yuru Wang, (Ph.D. 2017), Thesis title: “RNA Recognition by Adenosine Deaminases Acting on RNA”

Dr. Justin Thomas, (Ph.D. 2017), Thesis title: “Structural Basis for RNA Editing and Site Selectivity by ADAR2”

Dr. Rachel Valenzuela, (Ph.D. 2016), Thesis title: “Modulating Short Interfering RNA Off-Target Effects through Nucleobase Modifications”

Dr. Kiet Tran, (Ph.D. 2016), Thesis title: “Tethering in RNA: Development and Application to the Study of Adenosine Deaminases Acting on RNA”

Jocelyn Havel, (M.S. 2015), Thesis title: “Mechanistic and Specificity Studies of the Isolated Catalytic Domains of ADARs”

Dr. Alexi (Morris) Ball-Jones (Ph.D. 2015), Thesis title: “Use of Nucleoside Analogs to Improve Activity and Sequence Selectivity of Short Interfering RNA”

Dr. Kelly Phelps (Ph.D. 2014), Thesis title: “Use of Nucleoside Analogs as Mechanistic Probes for ADAR1 and ADAR2”

Dr. Rena (Goodman) Mizrahi (Ph.D. 2013), Thesis title: “Functional and Mechanistic Studies of Adenosine Deaminases Acting on RNA”

Dr. José Ibarra-Soza (Ph.D. 2013), Thesis title: “Minor and Major Groove Modified SiRNAs for the Exploration of Single Positional Effects on RNAi Efficacy, Specificity, and Immunostimulation”

Dr. Tristan Eifler (Ph.D. 2013), Thesis title: “Analysis of the Structural and Sequential Preferences of Human ADAR2 A-to-I Editing”

Dr. Erik Fostvedt, (Ph.D. 2012), Thesis title: “Evaluation of Adenosine and Guanosine Analogs for the Mitigation of Off Target Effects of RNA Interference and the Development of an Anti-PDC-E2 DNA Aptamer”

Dr. Hayden Peacock, (Ph.D. 2011), Thesis title: Synthesis and applications of N2-modified-2-aminopurine ribonucleosides”

Radhika Bachu, (M.S. 2010), Thesis title: “RNA Recognition and Cellular Localization of Quinoline Based Helix-threading Peptides”

Nicole Schirle, (B.S/M.S in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 2010), Thesis title: “Targeting RNA with small molecules”

Dr. Subhash Pokharel, (Ph.D. 2009), Thesis title: “Developing New Approaches to Study RNA Editing by ADAR2”

Dr. Jin Ren, (Ph.D. 2008), Thesis title: “Targeting RNA with Helix-threading Peptides to Control Protein Activity”

Dr. Malathy Krishnamurthy, (Ph.D. 2008), Thesis title: “Targeting RNA with quinoline based helix-threading peptides”

Dr. Olena Maydanovych, (Ph.D. 2008), Thesis title: “Synthesis and Oligonucleotide Incorporation of Modified Nucleoside Analogs to Investigate RNA-editing and RNA interference”

Dr. Sujiet Puthenveetil, (Ph.D. 2006), Thesis title: “Regulation of Protein-RNA Interactions to Study the DsRBM Family of Proteins”

Arunkumar Kannan, transferred in 2nd year to Burrows Lab, University of Utah due to move to UC Davis.

Muhammed Shadid, transferred in 4th year to Yost Lab, University of Utah due to move to UC Davis.

Tao Cui, (M.S. 2006), Thesis title: “ADAR2 Deamination of RNA: Investigation into Mechanism and Regulation”

Dr. Barry D. Gooch, (Ph.D. 2006), Thesis title: “RNA Recognition by Helix-Threading Peptides and their Utility as Inhibitors of Protein-RNA Interactions”

Brittany L. Haudenschild, (M.S. 2004), Thesis title: “A Transition State Analog for an RNA-editing Reaction”

Dr. Olen M. Stephens, (Ph.D. 2004), Thesis title: “The Role of dsRBM Binding Selectivity in RNA-editing by ADAR2”

Dr. LaHoma Easterwood, (Ph.D. 2004), Thesis title: “Substrate Analogues used to Study the Reaction of an RNA-editing Adenosine Deaminase: Analysis of Recognition Properties and Inhibitor Design”

Dr. Narasimham Jammi, (Ph.D. 2003), Thesis title: “Investigating the Mechanism of Activation of the RNA-dependent Protein Kinase, PKR”

Dr. Coby B. Carlson, (Ph.D. 2002), Thesis title: “Targeting RNA with Combinatorial Libraries of Peptide-Acridine Conjugates” Walling Award Winner 2003,

Dr. Momo Vuyisich, (Ph.D. 2002), Thesis title: “RNA Recognition by Proteins and Small Molecules: Characterization and Control of PKR-RNA Interactions and Controlling Protein Activity with Ligand-Regulated Aptamers (LIRAs)

Dr. Hye Young Yi-Brunozzi (Ph.D. 2002), Thesis title: “Analysis of the RNA-editing Reaction of an Adenosine Deaminase that Acts on RNA with Structural and Fluorescent Analogs of the GluR-B R/G Editing Site”

Dr. Richard Spanggord (Ph.D. 2002), Thesis title: “Recognition of RNA by the RNA-binding Domain of the RNA-dependent Protein Kinase PKR” 

Undergraduates

Jeremy May, University of Utah

Mihir Bhayani, University of Utah

Gregg M. Kamilar, University of Utah

Vitaly Kushnir, University of Utah

Jamie Blondin, Wayne State University

Brittany Gagne, Denison College

Bryan Warf, Guilford College

Madeline Lancaster, Occidental College

Gabriel Sanchez, Whittier College

Cabe Clark, University of Utah

Landon Whitby, University of Utah

Jennifer Andelin, University of Utah

Clark Andelin, University of Utah

Kristina Simon, Braunschweig University

Nicole Schirle, University of California, Davis

David Pringle, University of California, Davis

Yi-Chi (Rosanna) Chao, National Taiwan University, (GREAT program ’10)

Kaitlyn Hinshaw, East Tennesee State (NSF REU ’11)

Andrea Ching, University of California, Davis

Anthony Jean-Gilles, George Mason University (NSF REU ’12)

Mara Couch, University of California, Davis

Monica Schmidt, University of California, Davis

Dalen Chan, University of California, Davis

Claire Lorenzo, University of California, Davis

Sara Stanley, University of California, Davis

Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari, University of California, Davis

Yao Chiang, University of California, Davis

Jennifer Li, University of California, Davis

Luan Nguyen, University of California, Davis

Shannon Lu, University of California, Davis

Michelle Luo, University of California, Davis

Jonathan Marquez, University of California, Davis

Ruby Vidales-Flores, University of California, Davis