Pharmacology and Toxicology Post-Doctoral Researchers
The Pharmacology and Toxicology Department has a vibrant community of trainees consisting of graduate students, post-baccalaureate students, and postdoctoral fellows from across the country (and the world). The newly reformed Association for Pharmacology and Toxicology Students welcomes all trainees, in addition to staff who are thinking about pursuing a graduate degree, to their events.
Read more about our post docs and their research below.
Post-Doc News
Pharmacology and Toxicology Post-Docs
Universidad de Costa Rica UCR - BS, Biology
University of Sheffield - MS, Molecular Medicine
University of Utah - PhD, Pharmacology and Toxicology
Mentor: Mei Koh, PhD
Office: 3400 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
I am a passionate Deep Learning Researcher specializing in computer vision models who aims to induce automation in high-throughput experimentations and analysis. As a computer vision and deep learning researcher, I design, train, and deploy deep learning models related to pre-clinical research. My projects range from automated high-throughput image classification and segmentation to object detection, object measurement, tracking, and predictive modeling. I often work with large-scale images and video datasets. My research aims to optimize model efficiency and accuracy, addressing challenges such as model generalization, interpretability, and scalability. I am constantly exploring the evolving field of AI, keeping up with the latest advancements in deep learning architectures and optimization techniques. I aim to contribute impactful research, collaborate with innovative teams, and develop AI-driven solutions that make a difference in the tech industry and beyond.
Lovely Professional University - BS, Biotechnology
University of Illinois, Chicago - PhD, Mechanical Engineering
Mentor: Randall Peterson, PhD
Office: 3420 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
Microorganisms are exceptional chemists, capable of producing structurally complex and unique molecules far beyond what we can achieve synthetically. Exploring untapped sources of natural products offers a pathway to discovering these compounds, many of which hold great potential for bioactivity. I'm particularly interested in uncovering how these molecules mediate interactions within their environments, understanding their biosynthetic mechanisms, and exploring chemical modifications to enhance their bioactive properties and broaden their potential applications.
University of North Carolina at Asheville - BS, Chemistry
University California Santa Cruz - PhD, Natural Products and Organic Chemistry
Mentor: Jackie Winter, PhD
Office: 3400 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
I joined the Peterson lab in late 2020, after earning my PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology working in the lab of Dr. Brian Link at the Medical College of Wisconsin. As a postdoc in the Peterson lab I'm studying how skin functions as a sensory organ contributing to touch, itch, and pain sensation. To that end, I'm performing high-throughput genetic screens in zebrafish, and examining how the genes identified in these screens regulate the join development of the skin and it's innervating sensory neurons. I'm also using zebrafish to model rare and/or undiagnosed diseases, with a goal of developing screening platforms capable of identifying potential therapeutics for patients with these conditions.
Wisconsin Lutheran College - BS, Biology
Medical College of Wisconsin - PhD, Cell and Developmental Biology
Mentor: Randall Peterson
Office: 3420 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
I am a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Martin Golkowski's Lab. My PhD work was in the design and synthesis of novel chemotherapeutics for resistant hematological malignancies. This work focuses on heterobifunctional compounds such as polypharmacologic inhibitors, PROTACs, and molecular glues.
Albertus Magnus College - BS, Chemistry and Biology
University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy - PhD, Pharmaceutical Sciences
Mentor: Martin Golkowski, PhD
Office: 3800 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
As a postdoc in the Anticonvulsant Drug Development Program, I’ll be implementing my background in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to establish novel human-based systems for screening anti-seizure medications. Using a combination of transcription factor, small molecule, and gene-editing approaches, I’ll be developing cultures from distinct neuronal and glial subtypes from both healthy control iPSCs and from iPSCs harboring a knock-in mutation in SCN1A to model Dravet Syndrome.
University of Georgia - BS, Biological Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Karen Wilcox, PhD
Office: B0800 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
I am interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying pharmacoresistance in epilepsy. Approximately 30% of epileptic patients continue to have seizures despite the availability of several therapeutic options. My research focuses on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown as a key driver of pharmacoresistance. What makes this exciting is that BBB disruption isn't uniform across the brain—different regions show different patterns of vulnerability. My goal is to identify targetable mechanisms that could restore drug delivery to resistant brain regions, which could open up completely new treatment strategies for patients who don't respond to current medications
Petra University - BS, Pharmacy
Tel Aviv University - MS, Microbiology and Immunology
Hebrew University of Jerusalem - PhD, Pharmacology
Mentor: Cameron Metcalf, PhD
Office: B0800 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
I am a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Mei Koh's lab. My previous research was focused on hepatic lipid metabolism in mice and cell models. I also have experience with mice models of obesity, atherosclerosis and chronic kidney disease.
Nanhua University - BS, Biotechnology
National Yang-Ming University - MS, Physiology
National Taiwan University - PhD, Physiology
Mentor: Mei Koh, PhD
Office: 3400 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
I am interested in developing advanced gene editing tools and using zebrafish as a model organism for genetic diseases. My current interests focus on developing large serine integrase systems as tools for genetic manipulation. I am also interested in new techniques that enable high-throughput gene editing in zebrafish.
Wingate University - BS, Biology
University of Kentucky - PhD, Biochemistry
Mentor: Randall Peterson, PhD
Office: 3420 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
I am interested in using zebrafish to study neurobehavioral disorders to identify potential therapeutic targets. Additionally, I am interested in identifying the molecular mechanisms behind opioid-induced neurotoxicity.
Jordan University of Science and Technology - BSc, Pharmacy
Jordan University of Science and Technology - MS, Clinical Pharmacy
Indiana University Bloomington - PhD, Intelligent Systems Engineering/Bioengineering concentration
Mentor: Randall Peterson
Office: 3420 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
I've always been fascinated about understanding underlying pathogenic mechanisms that contribute to disease phenotypes in order to identify novel drug targets. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects more than 65 million people globally and has a complex pathophysiology. Pediatric epilepsies, in particular, are devastating and negatively impact the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. My research interests are multifaceted and include the following: (i) investigating how environmental pollutants might affect seizure outcomes in the Dravet Syndrome, a rare but catastrophic pediatric epilepsy (ii) understanding the role of metabolic alterations in causing sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) in Dravet Syndrome, and (iii) screening of drug compounds in the Dravet Syndrome mouse model which would aid in the identification of the next novel compound that could potentially treat certain genetic pharmacoresistant epilepsies. I work with mouse models of epilepsy, in particular the Dravet Syndrome mouse model. I have also worked with in-vitro and zebrafish models of hyperexcitability/seizures.
Anna University Chennai - BS, Biotechnology
Birla University of Technology and Science, Pilani - MS, Biotechnology
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus - PhD, Toxicology (Neuroscience)
Mentor: Cameron Metcalf, PhD
Office: B0800 L.S. Skaggs Jr. Research Building
2023 Dravet Syndrome Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship