MARC @ UHM Mentors

The UHM mentors below have expertise in a number of STEM disciplines, with multiple mentors having research projects in: applied math, biochemistry, bioengineering, cancer biology, drug development, environmental sciences, genetics/evolution/epigenetics; microbiology; neurobiology, nutrition, reproductive biology, virology, and vaccinology. Trainees will become members of the mentor’s research team and learn about all aspects of biomedical research in an inclusive and supportive environment. Trainees can select from several mentors with similar expertise, For example, if trainees are interested in COVID-19, they can work with either Drs. Kaufusi, Lehrer, V. Nerurkar, Verma, or Wang; biochemistry, their mentor might be Drs. Alegado, Berry, Hoffmann, Kallianpur, Li, or P. Nerurkar; or cancer, they could select Drs. Youping, Loo, Ramos, Shin.  A special component of our program is the ability to train in BSL3 research. PI Dr. Nerurkar worked for nearly 30 years with BSL-3 agents and directs the A/BSL-3 lab at JABSOM. We will offer selected MARC trainees training in BSL-3 including how to safely conduct research in a BSL-3 facility, write and follow standard operating procedures, as they work with a UHM mentor.

MARC MENTORS – UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I AT MANOA

Alegado, Rosie PhD

Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

Research Interest: Understand how bacteria have influenced the evolution of animals and how these interactions impact their ecosystem.

https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/soestwp/about/directory/rosie-alegado/

Arif, Mohammad PhD

Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources

Research Interests: Phytobacteriology; Population Genetics; Bacterial Genomics and Evolution, Host-bacterial interactions; Microbial Forensics and Molecular Diagnostics.

https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/Bio.aspx?ID=ARIFMOH

Deng, Youping PhD

Quantitative Health Sciences, John A. Burns School of Medicine

Research Interests: New computational method development, identification of non-invasive biomarkers for early detection of cancer, characterization of biomarkers for predicting clinical outcomes of human diseases including cancer, and integrative data analysis of “omics” and clinical data.

https://www.uhcancercenter.org/deng-youping

Gross, Elizabeth PhD

Math, College of Natural Sciences

Research Interests: Phylogenetic models, Chemical reaction networks, Algebraic neuroscience, Algebra and geometry of maximum likelihood estimation, statistical network models, and numerical algebraic geometry.

http://math.hawaii.edu/wordpress/egross/

He, Yanghua PhD

Human Nutrition, Food & Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

Research Interests: Impacts of climate change on cattle production, Epigenetic mechanism of chicken Marek’s Disease (MD), and Impacts of maternal nutrition on offspring’s health

https://sites.google.com/view/yanghua-he/research?authuser=0

Hoffman, Peter PhD, MSPH

Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine

Research Interests: The role of selenium and selenoproteins in immunity; calpains/calpastatin in regulating inflammation.

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~peterrh/Hoffmann_Laboratory/Welcome.html

Jenkins, Daniel PhD

Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering,  College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources

Research interests: Sensors and instrumentation; Agricultural diagnostics; Molecular testing; Remote sensing for natural resources, and Invasive species management.

https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/Bio.aspx?ID=JENKIDAN

Jha, Rajesh PhD

Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources

Research interests: Monogastric Nutrition; Gut Health and Physiology; Feed and Feed Additives Evaluation

https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/Bio.aspx?ID=JHARAJ

Kallianpur, Kalpana PhD

Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine

Research interests: Brain imaging; NeuroAIDS; and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/tropicalmedicine/?page_id=3483

Kaufusi, Pakieli PhD

Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology/Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, John A. Burns School of Medicine/College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources

Research Interests: Pathogenesis of West Nile virus

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/tropicalmedicine/?page_id=498

Khanal, Samir PhD

Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources

Research interests: Microbial processes for resource recovery and waste remediation, Waste/agri-residues to biofuel and biobased products and biorefinery, Anaerobic biorefinery, Hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, Novel sulfate-reducing pathway for energy-efficient wastewater treatment, ORP-based process control for biological waste treatment system, Aquaponic for nitrogen recovery and climate change mitigation, Biochar applications for waste (water) treatment and biogas upgrading, Low-cost decentralized waste treatment system including anaerobic membrane bioreactor, and high solids digestion and bioenergetics.

https://www.samirkkhanal.com/

Lehrer, Axel PhD

Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology/Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, John A. Burns School of Medicine/College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources

Research interests: Viral vaccine development

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/tropicalmedicine/?page_id=870

Li, Qing PhD

Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources

Research interests: Palm peroxidases; Botanical insecticides; Functional foods and pharmaceuticals; Food safety, environmental fate and biomonitoring of agrochemicals; and microbial stress responses to toxic chemicals and mechanisms of biotransformation.

https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/Bio.aspx?ID=LI%20%20%20QIN

Loo, Lenora PhD

Cancer Biology, University of Hawaii Cancer Center

Research interests: Molecular mechanisms that both initiate and maintain tumorigenesis; and identifying genetic alterations that may impact biological events to influence the observed disparities in incidence and survival for breast and colon cancers in different ethnic populations of Hawai’i.

https://www.uhcancercenter.org/loo-lenora

Medeiros, Matthew PhD

Pacific Biosciences Research Center, College of Natural Sciences

Research interests: Transmission of infectious disease

http://www.medeiros-hui.com/our-research.html

Mishra, Birendra PhD, MS, DVM

Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources

Research interests: Reproductive Physiology of Domestic Animals and Poultry; Environmental stress on reproduction; Transcriptional regulation of egg formation in the laying hens; and Nutritional programming to increase the reproductive efficiencies.

https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/Bio.aspx?ID=MISHRBIR

Nerurkar, Pratibha PhD

Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources

Research interests: Metabolic Disorders (obesity and diabetes) and alternative medicine; Inflammation and diabetes; and Health benefits of specialty crops.

https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/Bio.aspx?id=NERURPRA

Nerurkar, Vivek DMLT MSc PhD

Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine

Research interests: Pathogenesis of infectious diseases; Delineating cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying microbe-host interaction.

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/tropicalmedicine/?page_id=473

Norris, Michael PhD

School of Life Sciences, College of Natural Sciences

Dr. Michael Norris leads the Pathogen Analysis and Translational Health Group at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The group works to understand the ecologic, immunologic, and pathogenic mechanisms of infectious diseases with local to global implications. The group is experienced in leveraging genomics, diagnostics, vaccinology, molecular biosciences, and microbiology to solve pressing public health challenges. These include outbreak identification and characterization, vaccine development, and disease bio-surveillance. With projects and collaborators all over the world, the group takes a one-health approach to battling infectious disease.

https://www.pathgroupuhm.org/home

Prisic, Sladjana PhD

Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences

Research interests: Molecular pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and alternative ribosomes

https://microbiology.manoa.hawaii.edu/faculty/sladjanaprisic/

Seale, Lucia PhD

Pacific Biosciences Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

Research interests: Selenium Nutrition and Metabolism; Obesity; Endocrine Physiology

https://www.pbrc.hawaii.edu/index.php/seale-lucia

Shepherd, John PhD

Body Composition, Exercise Physiology and Energy Metabolism CORE Facility, University of Hawaii Cancer Center

Research interests: Developing methods for predicting breast cancer risk from breast density and tissue thickness; Predicting metabolic health status and disease risk using 3D Optical X-ray, and MRI; and Describing frailty and functional ability using advanced body composition analysis and strength assessments.

https://shepherdresearchlab.org/

Takagi, Daisuke PhD

MATH, College of Natural Sciences

Research interests: Fluid mechanics

https://takagilab.com/

Verma, Saguna PhD

Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine

Research interests: Molecular, biochemical aspects of viral diseases

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/tropicalmedicine/?page_id=674

Wang, Wei-Kung MD, ScD

Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine

Research interests: Pathogenesis of arboviral and zoonotic viruses

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/tropicalmedicine/?page_id=684

Ward, Monika PhD

Anatomy, Biochem and Physiology, John A. Burns School of Medicine

Research interests: Reproductive and developmental biology and genetics of male infertility

https://www.ibr.hawaii.edu/343-2/monika-ward/

Yan, Tao PhD

Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering

Research interests: Environmental microbiology and biotechnology; Human pathogens in the environment; Low-cost water treatment and water reuse; Water infrastructure sustainability; and Environmental antibiotic resistance.

http://www.cee.hawaii.edu/faculty-staff-main-2/2-faculty/untitled-document-50-7/

Yang, Haining MD, PhD

Cancer Biology, University of Hawaii Cancer Center

Research interests: Pathogenesis of mesothelioma

https://www.uhcancercenter.org/yang-haining

Yoshizawa, Masato PhD

Biology, College of Natural Sciences

Research interests: Evolutionary mechanisms that generate novel “adaptive” function in animals

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/biology/people/masato-yoshizawa

MARC – GRADUATE ADVISOR

Chang, Sandra PhD

Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine

Research Interests: Immunology; Molecular biology; and Molecular approaches to vaccine development

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/tropicalmedicine/?page_id=478

MARC – CONSULTANT

Taylor, Diane PhD

Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine

Research Interests: Immunology of malaria in pregnant women and newborns

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/tropicalmedicine/?page_id=668

MARC MENTORS – EXTERNAL INSTITUTIONS

Contel, Maria PhD

Chemistry, Brooklyn College, City University of New York

Research Interests: Inorganic/Organometallic Chemistry; Homogeneous Catalysis (Green Chemistry); and Medicinal Chemistry.

https://mariacontel.blog.brooklyn.edu/

Jung, Sunghwan PhD

Biology and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University

Research Interest: Fundamental bio-fluid mechanics to dynamics related to animals and plants.

https://bee.cals.cornell.edu/people/sunghwan-jung/

Kumar, Mukesh PhD

Biology, Georgia State University

Research Interests: Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases, SARS-COV-2, West Nile Virus, Zika Virus

https://cas.gsu.edu/profile/mukesh-kumar/

Saphire, Erica Ollmann PhD

Immunology and Microbiology, La Jolla Institute of Immunology

Research Interests: Structural Studies of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Pathogenesis

https://www.scripps.edu/faculty/saphire/

Obrietan, Karl PhD

Neuroscience, Ohio State University

Research Interests: Circadian timing; Neuronal signaling and synaptic plasticity; and Circadian timing and disorders of the CNS.

https://medicine.osu.edu/find-faculty/non-clinical/neuroscience/karl-obrietan-phd

Grab, Dennis PhD

Pathology, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences

Research Interests: Microbes and microvascular endothelial cell (MEC) barriers; Diagnostics loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and LAMPoles.

https://www.usuhs.edu/node/10891

Messaoudi, Ilhem PhD

Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine

Research Interests: Impact of advanced age on immune fitness and ability to respond to infection; Modulation of immune function by alcohol use disorder and obesity; and Subversion of the immune system by viruses.

http://www.immunology.uci.edu/profiles/messaoudi-ilhem.asp

Li, Xu PhD

Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Research Interests: Environmental Dimension of Antibiotic Resistance; Bioremediation of Contaminants in Water; Source, Fate, Transport, and Mitigation of Microbial Contaminants; Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emission from Livestock Wastes; and Valorization of Agricultural Wastes.

https://engineering.unl.edu/civil/xu-li/

Kong, Yong Lin PhD

Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah

Research Interests: Development of novel advanced manufacturing technologies to create unique functional, interwoven architectures and devices that cannot be created with conventional fabrication methods.

https://faculty.utah.edu/u6014310-Yong_Lin_Kong/research/index.hml

Sadri, Hooman PhD

Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine

Research Interests: Male Infertility; Spermatogonia Stem Cell; Tissue Engineering 3D Human Testis Organoid; Klinefelter Syndrome; and Genetics.

https://school.wakehealth.edu/Faculty/S/Hooman-Sadri

Shin, Sangwoo PhD

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University at Buffalo

Research interests: field of transport phenomena in small-scale systems

http://www.sangwooshin.com/