Tim Griffin, Ph.D.
Associate Member
I grew up in the Central Valley of California, which nurtured a love for the outdoors and being active. My interests in the mysteries of muscles, bones, and movement came as it does for many people–through injury. I was fortunate, though, to still enjoy a football career at Harvard University, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Biological Anthropology and developed an interest in the evolution of human bipedalism. I returned to California for my doctoral research, working with Dr. Rodger Kram in the Department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley to study how biomechanical forces determine the metabolic demands of locomotion.
Padmaja Mehta D’souza, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist
I was born in Bombay, India, but by the 10th grade, had lived in 5 cities across two continents. Oddly enough, the longest time I have lived in one place is Oklahoma, which has been home now for over 25 years. I completed my post-secondary education at the University of Bombay obtaining my bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and Biochemistry from St. Xavier’s College, and a master’s degree in Biochemistry from Sophia College. I joined Dr. Surekha Zingde’s lab at the Cancer Research Institute, Bombay, for my doctoral research and worked on the differential expression of neutrophil membrane proteins in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. This piqued my interest in the role of surface proteins on leukocytes and other cells in the vasculature.
Atul Pranay, Ph.D.
Associate Staff Scientist
I was born in a small town of Patna in Bihar state, India. For my higher education, I traveled across different cities in India. This opportunity provided broad scientific training and helped me to grow personally by experiencing diverse Indian cultures. I completed my masters in Biochemistry from Jiwaji University, Gwalior. Metabolism regulation was my favorite topic during my masters. After my masters I worked at IGIB, Delhi on a high throughput sequencing project investigating SNPs in patients with Ataxia. This experience motivated me to pursue a PhD. Fortunately, I was selected for a DAE JRF PhD fellowship at ACTREC (Advanced Center for Treatment, Research & Education in Cancer). I joined Dr. Surekha Zingde’s Lab and developed an interest in mass spectrometry. I utilized MALDI-TOF to identify tumor antigens for Oral Cancer.
Ravi Komaravolu, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Fellow
I am a native of Hyderabad, India. As an undergraduate, I received BSc in Applied Nutrition & Public Health. I obtained double master’s in MSc Microbiology (Andhra University) and MTech Biotechnology (Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University) in India. Later, I earned my Ph.D. in the areas of human endothelial cell signaling from Ruprecht Karls Universität Heidelberg in Germany. I am extremely fascinated by the state-of-the-art biomedical research in the United States of America. I moved to the USA in 2015 and I had nearly four-years of my first postdoc stint at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Ohio under the mentorship of Prof. David Y. Hui. In Cincinnati, my major focus was studying the molecular and cellular basis underlying dietary lipid influence on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Sanique South
Post-doctoral Fellow
I was born in Jamaica in the parish of Manchester. I completed my post-secondary education at Church Teachers’ College in Mandeville, Jamaica, receiving a Diploma in Teaching. I earned a double bachelor’s in Biology and Nutrition and a master’s degree from Prairie View A&M University, where I developed my skills and love for research. My research throughout my undergraduate and master’s program was in the field of Plant Science and Biochemistry. My research focused on glutamate dehydrogenase biochemistry and modulation of metabolic pathways in medicinal plants. I also completed an internship program examining the role of the immune system in a mouse model of preeclampsia.
Taylor Conner
Senior Research Technician
I was born and raised in southcentral Arkansas, in a small town called Malvern. I have always had a love for animals so upon graduating I went to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science. While there I became acquainted with various different types of behavior in animals including both large species and small. I started working at the university’s laboratory as an Animal Care Technician where I gained basic animal handling skills with rodents and techniques in how to recognize and treat common health-related issues.
Jessica Lumry
Biomedical Engineer
I was born in Texas, but I grew up in Oklahoma, where I attended my dad’s Alma mater, the University of Oklahoma. Boomer Sooner! At OU, I majored in Biomedical Engineering and spent nearly my entire college career pursuing a greater understanding of emerging technologies. This fascination made it possible to be chosen for an Undergraduate Pediatric Scoliosis Brace Research Project. In this project, I sought to create an adaptable medical cast making process that would keep children who are suffering from Pediatric Scoliosis out of the operating room. Photogrammetry was used to convert pictures (taken 360° around the patient), into a 3D model of the patient’s torso. Next, using 3D modeling, a custom cast was formed around the 3D rendered torso, where patient-specific regions of applied pressure and breathability holes could work towards correcting their spinal curvature. Finally, this process made a 3D printed wearable patient cast. I treasured every moment of my time on this project, and I am deeply honored to have been selected by The University of Oklahoma Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering for the 2019-2020 SBME Outstanding Research Award!
Albert Batushansky, Ph.D.
Consultant
I was born in the Soviet Union. I completed my M.Sc. program in biochemistry in Belarus and received my Ph.D. degree in life sciences in Israel. I started my research career in the field of microbiology and immunology and then moved to plant science, with a focus on metabolomics and omics-data analysis. Fascinated by the power of metabolomics, I wished to apply it to biomedical research. I sought this opportunity by joining the labs of Dr. Griffin and Dr. Humphries at the OMRF.