Ph.D. Students (Alumni)

Husamuddin Ansari, M.D., Ph.D.
Dates: 9/95-7/00
University: Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Thesis Title: “A novel role for cyclophilin A as a regulator of nuclear transport”
Current Position: Opthalmology Consultants of Boston, Boston, MA, USA

Douglas Craig Braaten, Ph.D.
Dates: 9/96-12/99
University: Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Thesis Title:  “Cyclophilin A is required for wild-type replication kinetics of HIV-1″
Current Position: Chief Scientific Officer, Scientific Publications, Editor-in-Chief, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, New York, NY, USA

Mohammed Asmal, M.D., Ph.D.
Dates: 9/97-12/01
University: Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Thesis Title: “Charact. of Ppia-/- mice and regulation of translation in CD4+ Th2 cells”
Current Position: Vice President, Head of Clinical Research and Development, bluebirdbio, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Cagan Gurer, Ph.D.
Dates: 9/98-5/04
University: Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Thesis Title: ” HIV-1 Gag interacting Host Factors”
Current Position: Senior Director of VelocImmune-NEXT, Immunology and Inflammation, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA

David Sayah, M.D., Ph.D.
Dates: 9/01-12/04
University: Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Thesis Title: “Characterization and cloning of host factors that restrict HIV-1”
Current Position: Assistant Professor, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Elena Sokolskaja, Ph.D.
Dates: 1/02-11/06
University: Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
Thesis Title: “Host factors modulating HIV-1 infectivity and restriction”
Current Position: Analytical Development Scientist, The Cell Catapult, London, UK

Sarah Sebastian, Ph.D.
Dates: 9/03-12/06
University: Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Thesis Title: “Investigating the mechanism of TRIM5-mediated restriction of retroviruses”
Current Position: Director of Virology, Vaccitech Limited, Oxford, UK

Martha Neagu, M.D., Ph.D.
Dates: 7/02-11/08
University: Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Thesis Title: “HIV-1 inhibition by human TRIM5-Cyp fusion proteins”
Current Position: Associate Medical Director, Physician Development Program, AbbVie, Chicago, IL, USA.

Thomas Pertel, Ph.D.
Dates: 9/05-5/09
University: Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
Thesis Title: “TRIM5 and innate immunity”
Current Position: Associate Director, Head of Cell Engineering, Allogene Therapeutics, San Francisco, CA, USA

Frederico Santoni, Ph.D.
Dates: 3/09-7/11
University: University of Geneva, Switzerland
Thesis Title: “In silico analysis of retroviral integration”
Current Position: Senior Researcher, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

Hanni Bartels, M.D., Ph.D.
Dates: 3/09-5/12
University: University of Geneva, Switzerland
Thesis Title: “Post-transcriptional regulation of gammaretroviral gag and env”
Current Position: Fellow in Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Alberto Delaco, Ph.D.
Dates: 10/08-10/12
University: University of Geneva, Switzerland
Thesis Title: “HIV-1 capsid plays essential roles in the early steps of viral replication”
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland

Christian Reinhard, Ph.D.
Dates: 5/09-10/13
University: University of Geneva, Switzerland
Thesis Title: “HIV innate immune detection and evasion”
Current Position: Product Manager, BÜHLMANN Laboratories AG, Basel, Switzerland

Josefina Lascano, Ph.D.
Dates: 5/09-4/14
University: University of Geneva, Switzerland
Thesis Title: “Innate immune signaling and the contribution of different regions of capsid to HIV-1 restriction by TRIM5”
Current Position: Invited Researcher, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

Sean Mathew McCauley, Ph.D.
Dates: 11/12-8/18
University: University of Massachusetts Medical School
Thesis Title: “Innate detection of HIV-1 in myeloid dendritic cells”
Current Position: Scientist, Advirna, Worcester, MA, USA

Kyusik Kim, Ph.D.
Dates: 9/15-6/20
University: University of Massachusetts Medical School
Thesis Title: “HIV-1 evasion of human TRIM5alpha via Cyclophilin A”
Current Position: Scientist, Tessera Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA

Mehmet Hakan Guney, Ph.D.
Dates:  4/16-3/22
University:  University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Thesis Title: “Innate Immune Sensing of HIV-1 RNA in Human Myeloid Cells”
Current Position: Scientist I, Immunology, ROME Therapeutics, Boston, MA, USA