Current Trainees

Brandon McDonald.

Brandon McDonald

2022-2023 trainee
B.S. in Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska - Lincoln Ph.D. in progress

Research Project:
Role of Antioxidant Nanoparticle Treatment in the Amelioration of Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization Following Traumatic Brain Injury.

Mentors:
Dr. Forrest Kievit and Dr. Xinghui Sun.


Josh Loecker.

Josh Loecker

2022-2023 trainee
B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in Computer Science, South Dakota State University – Ph.D. in Progress

Research Project:
Creating metabolic models of human immune cells, specifically hematopoietic stem cells. I will also be developing tools to speed up the creation of our lab's future models.

Mentors:
Dr. Tomas Helikar, Dr. Lindsey Crawford


Josh Loecker.

Cole Dolamore

2022-2023 trainee
B.S. 2020 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of South Carolina - Ph.D. in progress

Research Project:
Structural and Enzymatic Characterization of Methylglyoxalase Activity in DJ-1 and Related Homolgues.

Mentors:
Dr. Mark Wilson and Dr. David Berkowitz


Tyrell Rossman

Tyrell Rossman

2022-2023 trainee
B.S. 2021 Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Ph.D. in progress

Research Project:
Exploration of cysteine modifications in human pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase.

Mentors:
Dr. Don Becker and Dr. Tomas Helikar


Noelle Waltenburg

Noelle Waltenburg

2021-2022 trainee
B.S. 2016 Chemistry, Northern Arizona University - Ph.D. in progress

Research Project:
Design of synthetic Receptor Activity Modifying Proteins (RAMPs) as chemical probes to study the molecular mechanisms of diseases associated with RAMP dysregulation.

Mentors:
Dr. James Checco and Dr. Robert Powers


Sydney Caparaso

Sydney Caparaso

2021-2023 trainee
B.S. 2020 Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Ph.D. in Progress

Research Project:
Development of a Physiologically Relevant In Vitro Platform to Model Neuroimmune Interactions in Nociceptor Hypersensitivity.

Mentors:
Dr. Rebecca Wachs and Dr. Amanda Ramer-Tait


Amanda Maliva

Amanda Maliva

2021-2023 trainee
B.S. 2020 Cell & Molecular Biology, University of South Florida (USF) - Ph.D. in Progress

Research Project:
Functional Genomics of Phosphatidylcholine Biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Mentors:
Dr. Wayne Riekhof and Dr. Oleh Khalimonchuk


Amanda Maliva

Daisy Guiza Beltran

2021-2023 trainee
B.S. 2019 Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Ph.D. in progress

Research Project:
Elucidation of the Molecular Mechanism of Transcriptional Regulation by Holo-WhiB1 in Mycobacteria.

Mentors:
Dr. Limei Zhang and Dr. Jiri Adamec