ALL FACULTY

Aoto, Jason
Assistant Professor
PhD, 2009, Univ. of California, Berkley
We are interested in dissecting the distinct functions of synaptic cell-adhesion molecules implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders and addiction in the context of disease-relevant brain circuits. Using cutting-edge multidisciplinary techniques, we are able to interrogate these molecules with cell-type and synapse-specific resolution.

Bankston, John
Assistant Professor
PhD, 2009, Columbia University
Molecular Mechanisms of ion channel function. Examining structural and regulatory mechanisms of the Acid-sensing ion channels using electrophysiology, fluorescence, spectroscopy, and structural biology.

Bates, Emily 
Associate Professor
PhD, 2005, Harvard Medical School
The Bates lab is studying the effects of fetal exposures to CBD and nicotine using mice as a model. 

Bayer, K. Ulrich
Professor
PhD, 1996, Heinrich-Pette-Institute
Molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. Strategies for restoring normal synaptic plasticity in neurological disorders.

Benke, Timothy A.
Associate Professor
MD/PhD, 1995, Baylor College of Medicine
Mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and impacts of development and epilepsy.

Bitler, Benjamin G.
Associate Professor
PhD, 2010, University of Arizona
The Bitler Lab is focused on improving the understanding of ovarian cancer biology and developing strategies to overcome epigenetic-mediated therapy resistance.

Black, Joshua C.
Assistant Professor
PhD, 2008, Univ. of California, Los Angeles
My lab studies how cells use epigenetics to control gene amplifications. We have identified epigenetic pathways that cells use to create transient increases in gene copy number. These copy number changes play roles in tumor development, progression and drug resistance. By understanding the fundamental mechanisms that govern copy number control we hope to allow better cancer therapies.

Caino, M. Cecilia
Assistant Professor
PhD, 2010, Univ. de Buenos Aires
Our group aims to understand how mitochondria reprogramming in tumors impact cellular behaviors that drive progressive and lethal cancer. We use a broad repertoire of biochemistry, cell biology, live cell imaging and animal models to study the impact of mitochondria shape, number and subcellular distribution in metastatic dissemination.

Christie, Jason
Associate Professor
PhD, 2004, Oregon Health & Sci Univ. 
We study the mechanisms of neural plasticity and the relationship of these processes to motor learning.

Churchill, Mair E. A.
Professor
PhD, 1987, Johns Hopkins Univ. 
Structure and mechanism in gene regulation; biophysical and structural studies of protein-nucleic acid and protein-protein complexes in chromatin and bacterial pathogenesis.

Costello, James
Associate Professor
PhD, 2009, Indiana Univ.
Systems and network biology approaches to disentangle signaling pathways in cancer development; Computational modeling of how therapeutic compounds function across different genomic backgrounds.

Cramer, Scott D.
Professor
PhD, 1992, Univ. of California, Santa Cruz
The molecular dissection of signaling pathways in prostatic cells, the identification of prostate progenitor or stem cells, and understanding epithelial-stromal interactions in normal and abnormal ductal morphogenesis.

Dabertrand, Fabrice
Associate Professor
PhD, University of Bordeaux Segalen, France
The control of cerebral blood flow by ion channels and calcium signaling in the pericytes, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells that constitute the brain microcirculation. We use this information to combat brain diseases with a vascular component.

Dell'Acqua, Mark L.
Professor and Vice Chairman, Department of Pharmacology
PhD, 1995, Harvard Univ.
Organization of signaling complexes by protein kinase and phosphatase anchoring proteins; mechanisms regulating neuronal second messenger signaling in synaptic plasticity.

Dietz, Robert
Assistant Professor
M.D., Ph.D., 2010, University of New Mexico
Strategies for restoration of synaptic plasticity following cerebral ischemia.

Doebele, Robert C.*
Associate Professor * (current position: President and CSO, Rain Therapeutics)
MD/PhD, 2001, Univ. of Pennsylvania
Basic and translational research related to lung cancer.

Edelstein, Charles L.
Professor of Medicine
MD, PhD, FAHA, FASN
Caspases and apoptosis in PKD

Eisenmesser, Elan Z.
Associate Professor
PhD, 1998, Purdue Univ.
We are interested in understanding the atomic-resolution details of pathogen/host interactions and the signaling events that go awry during diseases progression, such as those that drive cancer, by utilizing combinations of NMR, cryo-EM, biochemistry, and cell-based approaches.

Ernst, Patricia
Professor
PhD, 1996, Univ. of California Los Angeles
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development and Maintenance: The Role of the "Mixed Lineage Leukemia" Gene in Normal Blood Cell Development, Differentiation and Leukemia.

Espinosa, Joaquin
Professor
PhD, 1999, Universidad de Buenos Aires
Mechanisms of gene expression control and cancer biology' for 'Mechanisms of gene expression control, cancer biology, Down syndrome.

Ford, Christopher
Associate Professor
PhD, 2003, Univ. of Alberta
We study the synaptic mechanisms by which neuromodulators like dopamine and acetylcholine are encoded in mesolimbic and nigrostriatal circuits through their G-protein coupled receptors and the alterations that occur in these systems in neurological and psychiatric diseases. 

Ford, Heide, L.
Professor
PhD, 1995, Univ. of Rochester
My laboratory studies the parallels between normal development and tumorigenesis/metastasis with a focus on the role of the Six1/Eya transcriptional complex in TGF-beta signaling, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, cancer stem cells, and metastasis.

Freed, Curt R.
Professor
MD, 1969, Harvard Univ.
The dynamic role of dopamine in movement; neural transplantation for Parkinson’s disease.

Jones, David N.M.
Associate Professor
PhD, 1989, Univ. of Cambridge
Molecular mechanism of alcohols and anesthetic actions; structure and function of biomolecules; NMR spectroscopy, x-ray crystallography, biophysics and molecular biology.

Jordan, Craig T.
Professor
PhD, 1991, Princeton University
The biology and molecular characteristics of leukemia stem cells (LSCs), with a particular emphasis on those properties mediating growth and survival.

Kennedy, Matthew J.
Associate Professor
PhD, 2003, Univ. of Washington
Molecular mechanisms of activity-triggered synaptic remodeling.

Kutateladze, Tatiana G.
Professor
PhD, 1988, Moscow State Univ.
Epigenetics, phosphoinositide signaling, structural biology, NMR and crystal structures of proteins implicated in cancer, structure based drug design.

Lahm, Timothy

Professor of Medicine 

MD, 2000, University of Heidelberg

Pulmonary hypertension, right heart failure, sex differences in cardiopulmonary disease, estrogen signaling in the lung and right ventricle, angiogenesis and endothelial cell function in pulmonary vascular disease and right heart failure, hypoxia-induced cardiac and lung vascular remodeling, neurohormonal signaling in right heart failure, androgen signaling in asthma

McKinsey, Timothy A.
Associate Professor
PhD, 1998, Vanderbilt Univ.
Epigenetic regulation of heart failure; signaling and transcriptional mechanisms of muscle disease.

Nemenoff, Raphael A.
Professor*
PhD, 1977, Cornell Univ.
Signaling pathways controlling growth and differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells; Role of eicosanoids in lung cancer.

Oh, Won Chan
Assistant Professor
PhD, 2013, Univ. of California, Davis
We study molecular and cellular mechanisms of activity-dependent synaptic and circuit remodeling primarily through live-imaging approaches using two-photon microscopy and photostimulation in vivo and in brain slices, combined with electrophysiology and molecular genetic manipulations.

Owens, Philip
Assistant Professor
PhD 2008, Oregon Health Sciences Univ.
The role of BMP signaling in tumor induced bone disease; The role of BMP signaling in tumor associated lymphatics; The role of BMP signaling in tumor associated myeloid cells.

Petrache, Irina
Chief and Professor
MD, 1992, Carol Davila Univ. of Medicine and Pharmacy
Alpha 1 antitrypsin biology; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); Lung Cell Biology; Lung Inflammation; Lung Injury and Repair; Pulmonary Vascular Disease; Regenerative Medicine; Sphingolipid signaling and metabolomics; Vascular Biology

Port, J. David
Professor*
PhD, 1989, Univ. of Utah
G-protein linked receptors and their regulation; regulation of mRNA stability.

Proenza, Catherine
Associate Professor
PhD, 1999, Colorado State Univ.
We are interested in the cellular and molecular machinery responsible for cardiac pacemaking and its regulation by the autonomic nervous system.

Quillinan, Nidia
Associate Professor
PhD, 2010, Oregon Health & Sciences University
Our research is focused on excitability and plasticity changes in the brain following ischemic insults such as cardiac arrest and stroke.

Saba, Laura*
Associate Professor
PhD, 2007, University of Colorado Health Science Center
Statistical methods and bioinformatics techniques for studying complex genetic traits; Transcriptomics and systems genetics; Drug and alcohol use disorders.

Schweppe, Rebecca E.
Associate Professor
PhD, 2000, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
The focus of my lab is to identify novel molecular targets relevant to papillary and anaplastic thyroid cancer (PTC and ATC) with the ultimate goal of advancing these studies to clinical trials for thyroid cancer patients who do not respond to standard treatments.

Serkova, Natalie J.
Professor
PhD, 1996, Univ. of Bremen
Animal Imaging (MRI, PET, CT); Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) based metabonomics; Cancer Metabolism and Physiology; Anti-Cancer Drugs; Ischemia/Reperfusion in Organs.

Sikora, Matthew J.
Assistant Professor
PhD, 2011, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Steroid hormones; anti-estrogen; breast cancer

Smith, Katharine R.
Assistant Professor
PhD, 2010, Univ. College London, London, UK
Molecular mechanisms underlying disrupted Excitatory/Inhibitory (E/I) balance and relevance to neuropsychiatric disease.

Song, Kunhua
Associate Professor
PhD, 2007, Univ. of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center
Translational research of heart disease and heart regeneration.

Sucharov, Carmen
Professor
PhD, 1997, Univ. of Pennsylvania/ Univ. Federal do Rio de Janerio
Signal transduction and gene expression in adult and pediatric human heart failure.

Todorovic, Slobodan M.
Professor
MD/PhD, 1982/1990, University of Belgrade/University of Illinois
We investigate the role of voltage-gated calcium channels in the molecular mechanisms of analgesia and anesthesia

Torres, Raul*
Professor
Ph.D., 1992, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Negative regulation of CD8 T cell antigen receptor signaling and promotion of an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment by lysophospholipid GPCRs

Tsai, Ming-Feng
Assistant Professor
PhD, 2010, Univ. of Missouri 
Molecular mechanisms, pathophysiological functions, and drug development of mitochondrial membrane transport proteins.

Tucker, Chandra L.
Professor
PhD, 1999, Univ. of Washington
Protein engineering and optogenetics, Development of novel tools to sense and manipulate the intracellular environment. 

Verneris, Michael
Professor, with Tenure
MD,1992, Brown University
Our laboratory focuses on T cells and NK cells that express chimeric antigen receptors and other synthetic molecules that augment the recognition and killing of cancer cells.  Additionally, we study a cell type closely related to NK cell (innate lymphoid cells, ILCs) for their ability to ameliorate tissue injury after chemotherapy. The ultimate goal of our research is to develop cellular therapies that are less toxic than existing therapies and can be used to treat cancer or the complications of chemotherapy.

Weiser-Evans, Mary C.M.
Professor
PhD, 1992, Colorado State Univ.
Defining the molecular signaling mechanisms regulating vascular smooth muscle cell function in the setting of vascular fibroproliferative diseases, including restenosis and pulmonary hypertension.

Zheng, Hongjin
Assistant Professor
PhD, 2009, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Understanding molecular mechanisms of disease-related membrane proteins.

*= faculty member is currently not taking students