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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
Medeiros, Matthew PhD
Pacific Biosciences Research Center, College of Natural Sciences
Research interests: Transmission of infectious disease
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Takagi, Daisuke PhD
MATH, College of Natural Sciences
Research interests: Fluid mechanics
Verma, Saguna PhD
Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine
Research interests: Molecular, biochemical aspects of viral diseases
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
Ward, Monika PhD
Anatomy, Biochem and Physiology, John A. Burns School of Medicine
Research interests: Reproductive and developmental biology and genetics of male infertility
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
Yoshizawa, Masato PhD
Biology, College of Natural Sciences
Research interests: Evolutionary mechanisms that generate novel “adaptive” function in animals
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
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
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.
Jung, Sunghwan PhD
Biology and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
Research Interest: Fundamental bio-fluid mechanics to dynamics related to animals and plants.
Kumar, Mukesh PhD
Biology, Georgia State University
Research Interests: Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases, SARS-COV-2, West Nile Virus, Zika Virus
Saphire, Erica Ollmann PhD
Immunology and Microbiology, La Jolla Institute of Immunology
Research Interests: Structural Studies of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Pathogenesis
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shin, Sangwoo PhD
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University at Buffalo
Research interests: field of transport phenomena in small-scale systems