Vasant Muralidharan (Associate Professor), PhD, the Rockefeller University, ny

Vasant grew up among scientists on the campus of the Bhabha Atomic Research Center in Mumbai, India. He studied chemistry and microbiology at the University of Mumbai, graduating at the top of his class. Vasant then earned a Masters in Biotechnology at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, where he studied protein folding and dynamics. Vasant earned his PhD working on synthetic protein chemistry and biophysics with Tom Muir. For his postdoctoral training, he studied Plasmodium cell biology with Dan Goldberg, before joining the faculty of the Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases at the University of Georgia. Vasant is an expert on Plasmodium cell biology and molecular genetics. The Muralidharan lab studies the cellular biology of Plasmodium falciparum, the lethal human malaria parasite. Vasant’s lab utilizes molecular genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry to study the biological mechanisms driving the disease. In addition, Vasant teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in cell biology and parasitology.

Vasant’s CV

Carrie brooks (lab manager), BS, Cornell university, Ithaca, Ny

Carrie has deep expertise in Apicomplexan cell biology and molecular genetics. She has worked with several human parasites from the Apicomplexan family such as Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, and now Plasmodium parasites. Carrie is working on optimizing automated ways to measure parasite growth as well as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in Plasmodium cynomolgi.

ale villegas Lopez (Graduate student), BS, Northeastern illinois university, CHicago, il

Ale is studying the function of an atypical glycosyltransferase in the asexual lifecycle of malaria-causing parasites. Her work has shown that this glycosyltransferase is essential for growth within human red blood cells and that the presence of this enzyme is required for egress of daughter parasites from their host red blood cell. Ale is focused on uncovering the essential function of this enzyme in the growth of Plasmodium parasites.

grace Vick née woods (graduate student), Bs, Western carolina university, cullowhee, nc

Grace is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that enable the secretion of Plasmodium proteins from specialized club-shaped organelles known as rhoptries into the host red blood cell during invasion. She is investigating the function of a transmembrane protein that we hypothesize to play a role in rhoptry secretion.

DAVID ANAGUANO (GRADUATE STUDENT, 2019-2024)

Funded by GTRIP, University of Georgia

Current position:

Postdoctoral fellow, lab of dr. moritz treeck, gulbenkian institute of science, lisbon, protugal

Dr. Lola fagbami (postdoctoral Associate, 2020-2023)

Funded by NIH Diversity Supplement (2020-2023)

Current position:

research advisor, nigerian centers for disease control

Dr. David Cobb (Graduate Student, 2015-2020)

Funded by NIH T32 Fellowship (2018-2020) and ARCS Foundation Global Health Impact Award (2017-2020)

Current Position:

Fellow at The Molecular Quality Improvement program, newborn screening and molecular biology branch, centers for disease control, atlanta

Dr. Anat Florentin (Postdoctoral associate 2014-2020)

Funded by American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018-2020)

Current Position:

assistant professor, Faculty of medicine, hebrew university of jerusalem, israel

https://www.florentinlab.com

Dr. Manuel Fierro (Graduate Student, 2015-2020)

Funded by NIH T32 Fellowship (2016-2018)

Current Postion:

Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Eukaryotic pathogens innovation center (EPIC), Clemson University, Clemson, SC

the fierro lab

Dylon Stephens (BS/Ms Double Dawg Student, 2016-2020)

Funded by CURO Fellowship (2018-2019)

Current position:

Graduate Student at UT southwestern graduate school of biomedical sciences, dallas, Tx

Dr. Heather Kudyba (Graduate student, 2014-2019)

Funded by NIH T32 Fellowship (2015-2017) and ARCS Foundation Award (2014-2017)

Current position:

Postdoctoral fellow at Dr. Joel Vega-Rodriguez’s lab at the NIH

Tia Tran (Undergraduate Researcher, 2018-2020)

Tia worked with Dr. Florentin to study the function of Clp proteins in plastid biogenesis and with Dr. Dedkhad to investigate the function of specific genes hypothesized to play a role in parasite egress. She has focused on developing parasites where specific genes are tagged with fluorescent proteins. These parasites will be critical in developing quantitative methods for tracking parasite egress from their host red blood cell.