Xiao Dong is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota in the Genetics, Cell Biology and Development (TMED) department. Their research focuses on aging biology, somatic mutations, and cancer mechanisms, with significant contributions to understanding cellular senescence and its therapeutic implications. Research Interests: Aging and longevity mechanisms Genetic variants in age-related diseases Senolytic drug discovery Computational biology applications Recent Publications highlight advancements in: Machine learning for transcriptome analysis Somatic mutation profiling via single-cell sequencing Senomorphic microRNA identification TREM2 macrophage roles in metabolic liver disease Current collaborative projects include: Genetic variant-based drug discovery (NIH-funded) Cardiovascular regeneration with pioneer factors Exogenic organ development in gene-edited pigs
Jessica Hayward is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research focuses on veterinary genetics, particularly canine, feline, and equine species, using genomic approaches to understand disease traits and develop non-invasive biomarkers. She is affiliated with the Cornell Veterinary Biobank and the Center for Vertebrate Genomics. PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Auckland (2009) Postdoctoral work at Cornell University (Canine Influenza Virus, later shifting to canine genetics) Her research spans veterinary genetics, bioinformatics, and biomarker development. Key projects include genome-wide association studies for glaucoma, deafness, and cancer in companion animals, alongside developing animal variant classification guidelines. She contributes to computational genomics by improving genotype imputation methods. Recent publications highlight her work on gastric cancer in dogs (2025), variant classification frameworks (2024), and orthopedic trait mapping (2023-2016). Her studies often integrate comparative medicine approaches, linking animal models to human health insights.
Susanna Carolina Berger serves as a Working Group Leader at the Interdisciplinary Clinic and Polyclinic for Stem Cell Transplantation at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. With an extensive publication record spanning over two decades, Dr. Berger is a prominent researcher in the field of cellular immunotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Dr. Berger's research primarily focuses on CAR-T cell therapy applications in hematological malignancies, stem cell transplantation outcomes, and molecular monitoring of cellular therapies. Her work has significantly contributed to understanding neurotoxicity in CAR-T cell therapy, developing monitoring techniques for CAR-T cell expansion, and improving treatment strategies for multiple myeloma and lymphoma. She has published extensively on CD19-targeted therapies, molecular monitoring techniques including digital PCR, and the management of complications associated with cellular immunotherapies. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on translational research, with particular focus on real-world applications of CAR-T cell therapy, molecular monitoring techniques, and the management of treatment-related toxicities. Her work bridges laboratory research with clinical applications, addressing critical challenges in cellular immunotherapy including neurotoxicity, hematological toxicity, and treatment response monitoring. Dr. Berger actively collaborates with leading researchers in the field, including Kröger, Fehse, Ayuk, and Riddell, and participates in major European research networks focused on cellular therapies. Her work has been presented at significant conferences including the EBMT Annual Meeting and the European CAR T-Cell Meeting, demonstrating her active engagement in the international research community.
Weishan Huang is an Associate Professor of Immunology in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University. She joined the LSU Vet Med Faculty on January 3, 2018, and leads the Huang Lab which focuses on immune system research. Dr. Huang earned her PhD from Cornell University (2014), MS from Pennsylvania State University (2010), and BS/BE from Tsinghua University in China (2008). Her research spans immunology, regulatory immunity, immune memory, vaccination, infectious diseases, and cancer immunology with a focus on T cell signal transduction in host defense and immunopathology. Her laboratory investigates regulatory T cell development and function, memory and homeostasis of CD8+ T cells, and antiviral/immune modulating drug discovery. She utilizes disease models including influenza infection, COVID-19, allergic asthma, cancer, and colitis to study immune homeostasis and develop immunotherapies like immune checkpoint blockades and CAR-T therapy. Dr. Huang serves as course coordinator and lecturer for Veterinary Immunology (VMED 5172) and Basic Immunology (PBS 7003), and lectures on virology topics related to Orthomyxoviridae and Retroviridae. Her recent publications demonstrate expertise in T cell signaling, viral immunology, and immunotherapeutic approaches to disease. AAI ASPIRE Award (2024) COBRE Rising Star Award (2024) LSU Vet Med Distinguished Scholar Award (2023) LSU Alumni Association Rising Faculty Research Award (2022) Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence (2021) Dr. Huang mentors students including Michael McGee, who received the LSU Vet Med Distinguished Dissertation Award in 2023. She has secured significant grant funding as Principal Investigator from NIH, Hevolution/AFAR, and other sources for projects on immune memory, ITK signaling, and viral infection. As a Standing Member of the NIH Study Section for Immunity and Host Defense and Associate Editor for Journal of Medical Virology and Frontiers in Immunology, she plays an active role in the scientific community. The Huang Lab, composed of biologists, statisticians, mathematicians, and artists, aims to understand how the mammalian immune system balances effector and regulatory immune responses to develop innovative strategies for disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Dr. Jack Tan is a Principal Investigator at the MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit within the Radcliffe Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford. He holds a DPhil and BSc (Hons), and serves as a Career Development Fellow at the Chinese-Academy of Medical Sciences-Oxford Institute. Dr. Tan is also a Fellow by Special Election at St Edmund Hall. His research is focused on developing next-generation protein nanoparticle-based vaccines and antibody therapeutics against infectious diseases, with particular emphasis on understanding how vaccine architecture influences immunogenicity and investigating mucosal vaccine immunity for respiratory pathogens like coronavirus. Dr. Tan's primary research interests encompass vaccine development, immunology, infectious diseases, protein nanoparticles, antibody therapeutics, and coronavirus research. His work is particularly notable for its focus on pan-sarbecovirus nanoparticle vaccines, where he is part of an international consortium (Oxford-Caltech-CPI-Ingenza) funded by the Coalition of Epidemics Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). His recent publications demonstrate a strong emphasis on influenza vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 research, protein nanoparticle technology, and the development of broad-spectrum antiviral approaches. Dr. Tan leads the Tan Group: Next-Generation Vaccines against Infectious Diseases, while also collaborating with the Townsend Group: Molecular Immunology. His research portfolio shows a clear trajectory toward developing vaccines that can provide cross-protection against multiple viral variants and related pathogens, with significant implications for pandemic preparedness. The work spans fundamental immunological mechanisms through to translational applications, with a particular focus on structural determinants of antibody function and novel vaccine platforms.
Professor Len Gray is a Professor in Geriatric Medicine at the Centre for Health Services Research within the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences at The University of Queensland. He directs a vibrant research program focused on system-level improvements within aged care and serves as an Affiliate of both the Centre for Health Services Research and the Queensland Digital Health Centre. Professor Gray has formal training in medicine as a specialist geriatrician and in health administration. Previously, he held senior management positions in Victoria's public health system in general management and aged care services. He joined academia full-time at UQ in 2002 and directed the Centre for Health Services Research during its foundational period from 2017-2022. His primary research interests include aged care policy, models of aged care service delivery, assessment and care planning systems, and health informatics and telemedicine strategies. As a Board member and the Australian coordinator for interRAI, a multinational research collaborative, he leads international development of hospital systems. His research has influenced the design and operation of hospital, community and institutional aged care in Australia and contributed to the evolution of telehealth in Queensland and Australia. Analysis of Professor Gray's recent publications reveals a strong focus on quality improvement in aged care settings, antimicrobial stewardship in residential facilities, and telehealth implementation. His work often employs mixed methods including systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, and qualitative approaches to address complex healthcare challenges in geriatric populations. Board member of interRAI Australian coordinator for interRAI Professor Gray has supervised numerous PhD students across topics including telehealth applications, diabetes care models, emergency department care for older adults, and cognitive assessment via video consultation. His current research portfolio includes significant funding from NHMRC and MRFF grants focused on aged care quality measurement, telehealth implementation, antimicrobial stewardship, and integrated care models for chronic conditions. Professor Gray leads research within the Centre for Health Services Research and is actively involved with the interRAI collaborative, focusing on translating research findings into practical improvements in aged care systems and services.
Dr Alireza Ahadi is a PartTime Lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology , University of Technology Sydney. He holds a PhD in Data Analytics from UTS (2018) and has previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Macquarie University (2019-2022) focusing on skills analytics and educational data mining. Education: PhD in Data Analytics (UTS, 2018), Master of Information Technology Extended (UTS, 2013), Bachelor in Computer Science (UTS, 2010). Current Role: Teaching IT and Science subjects at UTS with expertise in databases, programming languages, and data science. Research Interests center on data-driven educational solutions , including text mining in education, skills gap analysis between academia and job markets, code comprehension studies, and miRNA regulation in cancer research. His work integrates machine learning with curriculum analytics to improve educational outcomes and workforce alignment. Recent publications (15 most) reveal trends in applying NLP to educational data, eye-tracking analysis for programming behavior, and skills analytics engines for curriculum-job market mapping. His 2022 article on skills gap identification using Burning Glass data highlights his focus on real-world educational impact. Teaching Experience includes coordination and lecturing in core subjects like Database Fundamentals, Programming Languages, and Data Structures at UTS. He also explores educational data mining , optimization of analytics engines , and recommendation system design in pedagogical contexts.
Raluca Mihaela Gordan serves as Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics at Duke University and is a Member of the Duke Cancer Institute Division of Integrative Genomics. Her work bridges computational biology, genomics, and cancer research with significant contributions to understanding transcription factor mechanisms. Education Ph.D., Duke University, 2009 Research Focus Dr. Gordan's research centers on transcription factor dynamics and their role in DNA damage susceptibility, mutagenesis, and cancer development. Her lab employs computational genomics and high-throughput data modeling to investigate how transcription factor binding sites become mutation hotspots due to environmental exposures like UV radiation and smoking. She pioneered discoveries showing transcription factors inadvertently 'lock in' DNA mistakes, contributing to genomic instability in melanoma and smoking-related cancers. Her work extends to regulatory genomics in Alzheimer's disease and protein engineering for DNA-binding specificity. Publication Trends Analysis of her 2021-2025 publications reveals three dominant themes: (1) Mechanistic studies of transcription factor binding and UV-induced DNA damage in cancer genomes, (2) Computational modeling of cooperative DNA-binding and mutation patterns, and (3) Translational applications in cancer driver identification and protein design. Her work consistently integrates wet-lab validation with algorithmic innovation, with increasing focus on clinical implications for precision oncology. Grant Leadership Dr. Gordan directs multiple major federally funded projects: ETS-family Transcription Factor Mediated Control of Pulmonary Inflammation (NIAID, 2023-2028) NSF/MCB-BSF: Transcription Factor Binding & UV Lesion Accumulation (NSF, 2023-2027) Design/Prioritization of Human Genome Perturbations (NHGRI, 2021-2026) Duke FUNCTION Center: Noncoding Causes of Disease (NHGRI, 2020-2025) Training Program in Bioinformatics/Cancer Immunology (NCI, 2020-2026) Research Infrastructure She leads the Gordan Lab within the Duke Cancer Institute, maintaining strong collaborations with molecular biologists and clinicians. Her team develops open-source computational tools for genomic analysis and participates in Duke's Summer Scholars in Genome Sciences program. Current efforts focus on predicting mutation hotspots in cancer genomes and engineering DNA-binding proteins for therapeutic applications.
Ivana Vučićević is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade. She teaches courses including Veterinary Pathology, Introduction to Veterinary Laboratory Practice, General Pathology, and Special Pathology. Her academic career is centered on comparative pathology with particular expertise in veterinary histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Her research interests focus on veterinary pathology , with special emphasis on comparative oncology (particularly canine mast cell tumors), avian diseases (including psittacine beak and feather disease and avian influenza), neuropathology (cerebral amyloid angiopathy in dogs, distemper in foxes), and infectious disease pathology . Her work frequently employs advanced histopathological and immunohistochemical techniques to characterize disease processes across multiple species including dogs, birds, swine, and wildlife. Her publication record shows consistent research output with 15+ peer-reviewed articles in the past five years (2016-2021), primarily in veterinary pathology journals including Acta Veterinaria-Beograd, Journal of Comparative Pathology, and Veterinary Quarterly. Her research demonstrates methodological diversity spanning molecular diagnostics (qPCR for scrapie resistance), histopathological characterization of novel disease presentations, and comparative studies of disease across species. Her scientific contributions cover diverse areas including: Canine tumor pathology (mast cell tumors, nerve sheath tumors) Avian disease pathology (PBFD, avian influenza, air sac adenocarcinoma) Neuropathology (encephalitis, syringomyelia, cerebral amyloid angiopathy) Wildlife disease surveillance (distemper in foxes, gastric volvulus in bears) Parasitology (Ascaridia galli in poultry) Food safety implications of porcine respiratory disease She has co-authored a pathology practical manual for veterinary students and completed both her Master's thesis (2007) and Doctoral dissertation (2014) at the University of Belgrade, with research focusing on zeolite applications and mast cell tumor grading in dogs respectively.
Christopher W. Schultz, PhD, serves as an Assistant Professor in the Cancer and Cellular Biology department at Temple University's Lewis Katz School of Medicine. His research program bridges molecular oncology and translational therapeutics with a primary focus on recalcitrant cancers. Dr. Schultz's research centers on Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) pathogenesis and novel therapeutic development, with particular emphasis on neuroendocrine differentiation mechanisms and cell cycle dysregulation. His laboratory investigates RNA-binding proteins (notably HuR/ELAVL1), replication stress responses, and mitochondrial targeting in cancer cells. Recent work demonstrates expertise in ATR inhibition, DNA damage response pathways, and drug repurposing strategies for pancreatic cancer and SCLC. His publications reveal consistent focus on molecular vulnerabilities in aggressive malignancies. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications shows dominant research themes in SCLC biology (62%), pancreatic cancer therapeutics (28%), and methodological innovations in cancer modeling (10%). Key trends include exploitation of replication stress (38% of recent papers), RNA biology (25%), and clinical translation of targeted agents (37%). His work increasingly incorporates multi-omics approaches and patient-derived models. K99/R00 Award (2023-Present) FARE Travel Award (NIH, 2022) NCI Graduate Student Recruitment Program (2019) Drexel Discovery Day Outstanding Poster (2019) Halinski Pancreatic Cancer Research Fellowship (2017-18) Fredric Rieders Renaissance Foundation Award (2017-18) STAR Scholar (2011) Dr. Schultz leads multiple NIH-funded projects including K99/R00 mechanism studies on pyrvinium pamoate repurposing and ATR inhibitor combinations. His collaborative network spans the NCI, Temple's Fox Chase Cancer Center, and multiple international institutions. Current grants focus on phase I clinical translation of repurposed anthelmintics for pancreatic cancer and biomarker-driven ATR inhibitor trials for SCLC. His research group maintains active partnerships with the Brody and Thomas laboratories for preclinical validation studies.
Thomas Boudier is an Associate Professor at Centrale Méditerranée with additional affiliation as Professor Associate at Sorbonne University's Institute of Biology Paris-Seine (IBPS). His research focuses on bioimage informatics, bridging computer science and biological imaging to develop advanced tools for analyzing complex biological structures. His educational background includes: PhD in Bioimage Informatics from Sorbonne University (1994-1997) Master's in Computer Vision from Nice Sophia Antipolis University (1992-1993) Undergraduate studies in Mathematics from Paris Diderot University (1990-1992) Dr. Boudier's research spans the intersection of computer science and biological imaging, with particular expertise in 3D image analysis and processing. His work has significantly contributed to developing computational methods for analyzing complex biological structures across multiple scales. He has pioneered approaches for electron microscopy image segmentation, 3D reconstruction of cellular structures, and quantitative analysis of tissue organization. His research has important applications in neuroscience, cancer biology, and regenerative medicine, where precise quantification of cellular and subcellular structures is critical. His extensive publication record demonstrates consistent innovation in bioimage analysis, with recent work focusing on deep learning applications for electron microscopy, 3D analysis of neuronal structures, and computational modeling of cardiac cells. His development of specialized software tools like TAPAS, Spot Spine, and CardioVinci has provided the research community with valuable resources for automated image analysis. Throughout his career, Dr. Boudier has maintained strong collaborations across international institutions, including work at Academia Sinica in Taiwan and The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia. His research laboratory is affiliated with INRIA - National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology, where he contributes to advancing computational methods for biological imaging.
Ronald Kanterman serves as Adjunct Faculty in Fire Science and Professional Studies within the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven. With 47 years of fire service experience, he currently holds the position of Executive Inspector for the FDNY Bureau of Fire Prevention while teaching at the university. His research interests span multiple critical areas of fire science and emergency management. Kanterman specializes in fire prevention strategies , occupational safety and health protocols for firefighters, and hazardous materials response . His work emphasizes practical applications in fire service administration and emergency management systems, with particular focus on leadership development and organizational resilience within fire departments. His scholarly output demonstrates consistent contribution to fire service literature, with publications spanning fire officer safety, hazardous materials response, and fire service leadership. The articles reveal a strong emphasis on practical applications with theoretical underpinnings in fire science, showing evolution from technical firefighting procedures toward broader organizational and leadership concerns in later publications. Over 180 published works in fire service literature Regular contributor to Fire Engineering magazine and Fireengineering.com Author of multiple textbooks including "Fire Officer's Guide to Occupational Safety and Health" (2019) Kanterman has taught for 32 years at various two and four-year colleges at undergraduate and graduate levels, including serving as an Adjunct Instructor at the National Fire Academy. He has been instrumental in fire service education through his long-standing involvement with the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC), where he has taught for 25 years and served on the Educational Advisory Committee. Beyond academia, he volunteers with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and serves as an Instructor for the Local Assistance State Teams program.
Anna Hagström-Andersson is a Senior Lecturer at the Division of Clinical Genetics , Lund University , and a Principal Investigator at the Lund University Cancer Centre (LUCC) . She leads research teams focused on the pathogenetic mechanisms of MLL-rearranged acute leukemia in infants , aiming to improve therapeutic approaches through genomic and epigenetic studies. Her research employs high-resolution genomic methods and murine models to investigate genetic lesions , clonal cooperation , and relapse dynamics in pediatric leukemia. She contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to Cancer and Oncology and Basic Cancer Research . Current Projects : "Spädbarn och leukemi: första mekanismerna bakom leukemogenes tidigt i livet" (Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund, 2025–2027) "The molecular pathogenesis of KMT2A-rearranged leukemia from diagnosis to relapse" (Cancerfonden, 2024–2027) Supervision of PhD candidate M. Pilheden on genome-wide MLL-gene rearrangement studies Research Outputs : 49 publications, including groundbreaking work on clonal evolution , metabolic vulnerabilities , and epigenetic regulation in leukemia. Collaborations : Active in LUCC networks and experimental highlight series seminars.
Shawn Flanagan serves as an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of Health and Human Physiology within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa. He teaches foundational and advanced courses spanning human physiology, pathophysiology, immunology, nutrition, and aging, including HHP:1300 Fundamentals of Human Physiology and HHP:5300 Advanced Human Physiology. Dr. Flanagan earned his PhD in Integrative Physiology from the University of Iowa. His research investigates free radical biology in health and disease, with emphasis on stress response mechanisms and nutritional impacts across whole-organism, cellular, and molecular levels. This work bridges physiological adaptation, oxidative stress pathways, and disease pathogenesis, particularly in neurodegenerative conditions like ALS. His experimental approaches integrate molecular techniques with whole-animal models to dissect cytoprotective mechanisms. Analysis of his publications reveals a chronological evolution from 1990s heat-shock protein studies in thermotolerance and prostate cancer to 2000s investigations of superoxide dismutase in ALS models. His work consistently centers on oxidative stress mechanisms, demonstrating how free radical flux influences cellular survival in disease contexts across physiology, biochemistry, and neuroscience disciplines. His scientific recognition includes: NRSA Institutional Pre-doctoral training fellowship (1991-1994) Gatorade student research grant (1994-1995) NRSA Institutional Post-doctoral training fellowship (1997-1999) Two Young Investigator Awards from the Oxygen Society (2000, 2001) Dr. Flanagan's research has been supported by NIH training grants and industry partnerships, with collaborative work spanning the Department of Internal Medicine and University of Iowa Center on Aging. His mentorship extends through classroom instruction and laboratory research guidance for undergraduate and graduate students in health sciences. His laboratory collaborations focus on oxidative stress mechanisms, particularly with the Oberley research group on superoxide dismutase function in neurodegenerative models and with urology researchers on thermal ablation techniques for prostate cancer.
James Ferrell is a Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine in both the Department of Chemical and Systems Biology and the Department of Biochemistry. He is an active member of multiple Stanford institutes including Bio-X, Stanford Cancer Institute, and Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. Education: B.A. in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics from Williams College (1976), Ph.D. in Chemistry (1984) and M.D. (1986) from Stanford University Administrative roles: Chair (2006–2011) and Associate Chair (2011–2012) of Chemical & Systems Biology Current research focuses on two core areas: understanding mitosis regulation and deciphering systems-level logic of cellular signaling circuits. The lab employs Xenopus laevis oocytes/extracts for experimental work, complemented by computational/theoretical modeling. Recent studies explore: Temperature scaling in embryonic cell cycles Viscosity-dependent protein synthesis/degradation Membrane localization effects on molecular association Mouse lemur single-cell transcriptomic atlases Trigger wave dynamics in mitosis/apoptosis Hormonal signaling networks in primates His publications reveal recurring themes in cell signaling , biochemical oscillators , and non-linear biological systems . Despite no explicit awards listed, his work has significant implications across multiple fields including developmental biology, cancer research, and systems physiology.
