Recent PSTP Alumni

2020 Cohort

Emily Makowski, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist, Genentech
"Multi-Objective Engineering of Therapeutic Antibodies"
Advisor: Peter Tessier, Ph.D.

2019 Cohort

Jesse Wotring, Ph.D.

Medicinal Chemist
"Rapidly Translational Drug Discovery Using High Content Imaging: Applications to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and the COVID-19 Pandemic"
Advisor: Jonathan Sexton, Ph.D.

Chi-Chi Ukachukwu, Ph.D.

Eli Lilly and Company
"The hERG1 PAS Domain: An Anti-arrhythmic Drug Target and Master Regulator of IKr"
Advisor: David K. Jones

2018 Cohort

Josh Lott, Ph.D.

Medical Science Liaison, Merz Aesthetics
"Delineating the Specificity of Cannabinoid Effects by Investigating Cannabinoid Receptor-1 Trafficking and Signaling"
Advisor: Manoj Puthenveedu, Ph.D.

Alina Morales

Scientific Associate, Viscira
"Regulation of Chromaffin Cell Exocytosis via Endogenously Secreted Signaling Molecules Acetylcholine and PACAP"
Advisor: Arun Anantharam, Ph.D.

Andrea Pesch, Ph.D.

Sr Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Loxo Onocology
"Targeting DNA Damage, Apoptosis, and the Cell Cycle for the Radiosensitization of Aggressive Forms of Breast Cancer"
Advisors: Corey Speers, MD, PhD and James Rae, PhD

Garrett Dow, Ph.D.

Senior Development Scientist, Beckman Coulter
"Elucidation of DNA-Binding and Dimerization Activities of the Master Virulence Transcription Factor, VirF, From Shigella flexneri to Aid in Virulence-Targeted Inhibitor Design for Treatment of Shigellosis"
Advisor: George Garcia

Jennifer Diaz-Espinosa, Ph.D.

Advisor, Eli Lilly and Company
"Mechanistic Analysis and Quantification of Clofazimine"
Advisors: Kathleen Stringer, Ph.D. and Haojie Zhu, Ph.D.

Rachel Torrez, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Scholar, Univ of Utah
"Structural and Functional Analysis of Human Dicer"
Advisors: Amanda Garner, Ph.D. and Melanie Ohi, Ph.D.

2017 Cohort

Jason Albert, Ph.D.

Presidential Management Fellow | Dept. of Energy
"Metal-HisTag Coordination for Remote Loading of Biomacromolecules into PLGA Microspheres"

Nnamdi Edokobi, Ph.D.

Scientist | Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP
"The Role of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Gene Scn1b in the developing pediatric heart"
Advisor: Lori L. Isom, Ph.D.

Julie Philippe Gupta, Ph.D.

Life Sciences Consultant, Putnam Associates
"Ankyrin-B is Lipid-Modified by S-Palmitoylation to Promote Dendritic Membrane Scaffolding of Voltage Gated Sodium Channel Nav1.2 in Neurons"
Advisor: Paul Jenkins, Ph.D.

2016 Cohort

Jacqueline Sanchez, Ph.D.

Medical Science Liaison, AstraZeneca
"Targeting the Hsp90 Molecular Chaperone and Resistant Pathways in BRAF-mutant Melanoma"
Advisor: Mark Cohen, MD, Ph.D.

Cara D'Amico, Ph.D.

Scientist, Bristol Myers Squibb
"Droplet Microfluidics Coupled to Mass Spectrometry for Pharmacological Applications"
Advisor: Robert T. Kennedy, Ph.D.

2015 Cohort

Christine Cuthbertson, Ph.D.

Scientific Technical Writer I, Cayman Chemical
"Inhibition of Nucleotide and One-Carbon Metabolism for the Treatment of Cancer"
Advisor: Nouri Neamati, Ph.D.

Amanda Davis, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Zoetis Inc.
"Pharmacology of Hsp70 Activation"
Advisor: Yoichi Osawa, Ph.D.

Lindsey R. Drake, Ph.D.

Scientist, Bristol Meyers Squibb
"Synthesis of a Monoamine Oxidase B Selective PET Tracer"
Advisor: Peter J. H. Scott, Ph.D.

Lindsay Scheetz, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist, Merck
"Personalized immunotherapy for Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) using neoantigen-loaded synthetic high-density (sHDL) lipoprotein nanodisc vaccines"
Advisor: James Moon, Ph.D.

Brian Thompson, Ph.D.

Research Scientist, Eli Lilly and Company
"Mechanisms and Modeling of the Intestinal Absorption, Activation, and Systemic Availability of Gemcitabine and a Gemcitabine Prodrug for Oral Administration"
Advisor: David E. Smith, Ph.D.

2014 Cohort

Rachel D. Altshuler, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Maryland, BC
"Effects of Protein Kinase CBeta Inhibition on Drug- Taking"
Advisor: Margaret E. Gnegy, Ph.D. and Emily Jutkiewicz, Ph.D.

Tyler S. Beyett, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School
"Structure-Based Design of IKKe and TBK1"
Advisor: John J. Tesmer, Ph.D.

Daniel E. Epling, Ph.D.

Pharmacometrician, Ann Arbor Pharmacometrics
"Prodrug Targeting and Activitation Strategy for Improving the Oral Absorption of Gemcitabine"
Advisor: David E. Smith, Ph.D.

Erin Gallagher, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist, Sapience Therapeutics, Inc.
"Targeting the eiF4E-4E-BP2 Protein-Protein Interaction in Human Disease"
Advisor: Amanda L. Garner, Ph.D.

Nicholas W. Griggs, Ph.D.

Associate Toxicologist, SafeBridge Consultants
"Exploration of Control Mechanisms for Mu-Delta Opiod Receptor Signaling Using Opiod Peptides and Peptidomimetics"
Advisors: John R. Traynor, Ph.D. and Henry I. Mosberg, Ph.D.

Joel Maust, Ph.D.

Technical Writer, University of Michigan
"Targeting KRAS Signaling to Treat GI Cancers"
Advisor: Judith S. Leopold, Ph.D.

Jeffrey D. Zwicker, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals
"Development of Inhibitors of SUMO-Specific Protease"
Advisor: Jorge A. Lluhi-Iniguez, Ph.D. and Scott D. Larsen, Ph.D.

2013 Cohort

Michael P. Aguis, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Dana Faber Cancer Institute
"Conformation Selective Kinase Inhibitors"
Advisor: Matthew B. Soellner, Ph.D.

Carrie M. Johnson, Ph.D.

Medical Student, Cleveland Clinic
"Discovery and Development of Small Molecule Probes for the SUMO Protease SENP1, a Novel Target for Advanced Prostate Cancer Therapy"
Advisor: Jorge A. Iniguez-Lluhi, Ph.D.

Justin R. McNally, Ph.D.

Associate Toxicology Consultant, INDS
"Kinetic Analysis of Human DNA Ligase III"
Advisor: Patrick J. O'Brien, Ph.D.

Nathan T. Scharf, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Tampa
"Drug Discovery for Rifampin- Resistant Mycobacterium Tuberculosis"
Advisor: George A. Garcia, Ph.D.

2012 Cohort

Cameron Capper, Ph.D.

Manager, Regulatory Affairs Concept Therapeutics
"Studies of Cytochrome P450 17A1 (CYP17A1) Genetic Polymorphism"
Advisor: James M. Rae, Ph.D.

Sarah R. Mikelman, Ph.D.

Digital Communications Specialist, Oxford Pharma
"Tamoxifen Analogues as Therapeutics for Psychostimulant Addiction"
Advisor: Margaret E. Gnegy, Ph.D.

Nicolas Senese, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois
"SRole of Regulator of G-Protein Signaling Proteins in Serotonin and Opioid Mediated Behaviors"
Advisor: John R. Traynor, Ph.D.

Zapporah T. Young, Ph.D.

Staff Scientist, Yumanity Therapeutics, Inc.
"Rhodacyanines Inhibit Hsp70 Protein-Protein Interactions and Stabilize Substrate Bound Protein Complexes"
Advisor: Jason E. Gestwicki, Ph.D.

2011 Cohort

Anthony A. Emanuele, Ph.D.

Senior Development Scientist, Beckham Coulter
"Novel Antibiotic Discovery Targeting VirF a Virulence- Regulating Transcription Factor"
Advisor: George A. Garcia, Ph.D.

Jacob P. Mahoney, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University
"The Role of Arrestin in Membrane Structure and the Mechanism of Activation by the Beta2-Adrenergic Receptor"
Advisor: Roger K. Sunahara, Ph.D.

Hayley J. Paholak

Senior Medical Writer, MMS Holdings
"Nanotheranostics for Cancer Imaging and Drug Delivery"
Advisor: Duxin Sun, Ph.D.

Katherine Ryland, Ph.D.

Global Director, Merck
"The Role of Epigenetic Silencing and Ion Channel Suppression in Cancer Cell Survival"
Advisors: Elizabeth R. Lawlor, Ph.D. and Jeffrey Martens, Ph.D.

2010 Cohort

Brittany A. Bailey, Ph.D.

Pharmacovigilance Senior Manager, GSK
"Development of Adjuvant- Loaded PLGA Microspheres for Delivery of Vaccine Antigen"
Advisor: Steven P. Schwendeman, Ph.D.

Jordan T. Walk, Ph.D.

Senior Lecturer, College of William and Mary
"Development of New Strategies for Intramolecular Glycosylation"
Advisor: John Montgomery, Ph.D.