Postdoctoral Fellows
Jun Zhou
Postdoc, Bioengineering, University of Texas Arlington
PhD Materials Science and Engineering, University of North Texas
MS Physical Chemistry, University of Chongqing, China
BE, Applied Chemistry, University of Chongqing, China
Postdoc, Fall 2021 – Spring 2022
Immediate Next Position: Senior Formulation Scientist, Novelstar Pharmacueticals, New Jersey
Current: Senior Formulation Scientist, Abon Pharmaceuticals, New York
Nikunjkumar Visaveliya
Postdoc, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The City College of New York
PhD, Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Technical University of Ilmenau, Germany
BS, Chemistry, Sardar Patel University, India
Postdoc, Spring 2022
Immediate Next Position: Scientist, ChEmpower Corp, Oregon
Doctoral Students
Celina Stefoni, PhD
Universidad de Buenos Aires Chemistry PhD Program
Visiting PhD candidate, 2024-2025
BS and MS in Chemistry, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2021
Dissertation Defense February 2026: “Nanomaterial-based detection platforms for clinical analytes”
Amelia Ryan, PhD
CCNY BME PhD Program
B.S. in BME, SUNY Binghamton, 2021
CCNY G-RISE Graduate Fellow
Dissertation Defense December 2025: “Explorations of DNA-Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Interactions to Develop Multiplexed Molecularly Specific Biosensors for Inflammation” Link
Immediate Next Position: NYC Teaching Fellows
Pooja Gaikwad, PhD
GC Chemistry PhD Program
M.S. in Chemistry, University of Mumbai, India
B.S. in Chemistry, University of Mumbai, India
CUNY Graduate Center Dissertation Year Fellow
PhD in Chemistry, CUNY Graduate Center, 2023
Dissertation Defense August 2023: “Construction and performance optimization of bioconjugated nanosensors for early detection of breast cancer and pro-inflammatory diseases” Link
Immediate Next Position: Postdoc at NYU School of Dentistry
Master’s Students
Poojaa Jayanthi Venugopal
CCNY Master’s in BME
Spring 2024 – Spring 2025
Immediate Next Position: Microbiologist at Accuon Labs, New York
Jessica Kretli Zanetti
CCNY Master’s in BME
Spring 2024 – December 2024
Thesis title: “An Optical Aptamer-Based Carbon Nanosensor for Cortisol Detection”
Immediate Next Position: Research Associate at Memorial Sloan Ketttering Cancer Center
Hanan Yafai
CCNY Master’s in Translational Medicine
Summer 2023-Summer 2024
B.S. Psychology, Brooklyn College, 2023
Immediate Next Position: Venture Capital Internship in NYC
Andrew Ciprian
Summer 2024 PURT Student
CCNY Biology and Psychology BS
CCNY MS Student in Psychology
Immediate Next Position: Completion of MS in Psychology
Myesha Thahsin
CCNY BME Master’s Program
MS BME, CCNY, 2023
Thesis title: “Optimization of Optical Nanosensor Response for the Detection of Anthracyclines Using a Binary Machine Learning Classifier”
BS Mechanical Engineering, CCNY, 2021
Immediate Next Position: Field Engineer, GE Healthcare
Inuri Galle Liyanage
CCNY Master’s in Translational Medicine
BA Biochemistry, minor in Physical Anthropology, CUNY Hunter College 2020
Spring 2022 Independent Study Project
Post-Bac Researchers
Melis Baltaci
BS in Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 2023
Fall 2024 – Summer 2025
Immediate Next Position: MS Program in Neurobiology, Columbia University
Syeda Rahman
BS Biology, CUNY Hunter College, 2022
Fall 2022 – December 2024
Arantxa Roach
B.S. Biology, CCNY, 2018
October 2021 – June 2024
Completed MS Thesis at Pace University in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
based on work in our lab, titled “Kidney-Targeted mRNA Nanoparticles: Exploration of the
mRNA Loading Capacity of a Polymeric Mesoscale Platform Employing Various Classes
of Excipients”
Immediate Next Position: Senior Research Technician, Hospital for Special Surgery
Zachary Cohen
B.A. Chemistry & English, Kenyon College, 2019
September 2019 – December 2024
Immediate Next Position: Software Development Intern
Nazifa Rahman
BS Biomedical Engineering, CCNY, 2021
Summer 2021-Summer 2023
Immediate Next Position: Northrup Grumman Computational Scientist
Sofia Kashtelyan
BS, Bioengineering, Cornell University, 2023
Summer 2023
Immediate Next Position: MS BME Program, Cornell University
Rachel Skelton
BS Neuroscience, Duke University, 2018
Spring 2020-Spring 2022
Immediate Next Position: MD Student at SUNY Downstate
Undergraduates
Shakuntala Sookraj
CCNY BME Student
Spring 2024 – Summer 2025, Independent Study
Fatima Anjum
CCNY BME Student
Fall 2024, Independent Study
Christopher Dyjak
CCNY BME Student
Summer 2023 – Spring 2024, Independent Study
Immediate Next Position: Medical Training in Poland
Pritilata Islam
CCNY Biology Student
Summer 2023 U54 PURT Trainee – Spring 2024
Julia Simon
CCNY Biochemistry Student
Fall 2023-Spring 2024, Independent Study
Yumna Ahmed
CCNY BME Student
NanoBioNYC Program, Fall 2022-Fall 2023
Taseen Taraqnova
CCNY BME Student
Fall 2023, Independent Study
Jeremy Aguilar
CCNY Biotechnology Student
Fall 2022 – Spring 2023
Sadiyah Parveen
BS, BME, CCNY 2023
Spring 2022 – Summer 2023, Summer 2022 NSF STEM Program, Independent Study
Immediate Next Position: PhD Program in BME, Yale University
Sergio Garcia
CCNY BME Student
August 2023 – May 2023
Immediate Next Position: PhD Program at University of Rochester BME
Georgina Castellano
Queens College Chemistry Student
August 2022 – March 2023
Abdelrahman Ahmed
CCNY BME Student, Summer 2022 BME REU Program
Immediate Next Position: CCNY MTM Program
Carolina Cen Feng
CCNY BME Student
Summer 2020-Spring 2022, Independent Study
Immediate Next Position: NYU School of Medicine Research Technician
Rooshi Parikh
B.S. CCNY Sophie Davis SOM, 2022
2021-2022
Immediate Next Position: CUNY Medical School MD Program
Carol Lopez
CCNY BME Student
Fall 2021 – Spring 2022, Independent Study
Rashida Zannat Akifa
CCNY BME Student
2020 CCNY ICCAE Summer Program
Juan Mesa
CCNY BME Student, MARC Scholar
Spring 2020-Spring 2022, Independent Study
Khuzema Aslam
CCNY BME Student
Fall 2019-Spring 2022, Independent Study
Krystin Frederick
CCNY BME Student
Fall 2019-Spring 2022, Independent Study
Mitchell Lui
CCNY BME Student
Spring 2020 – Fall 2020
Sofina Tanni
CCNY BME Student
Fall 2019 – Spring 2021
Immediate Next Position: Program assistant at the Social Science Research Council
Erin Keblish
CCNY BME Graduate
Winter 2020 – Spring 2021, Research Assistant
Immediate Next Position: Weill Cornell Medicine PBSB PhD Program
Merna Ishak
CCNY BME Graduate
Summer 2020 – Spring 2021
Immediate Next Position: Engineer at Boston Scientific
Elia Flores
CCNY Biotechnology Graduate
Fall 2020 – Spring 2021, Independent Study
Uriel Ramirez
CCNY Biology Student
CCNY-MSK Partnership PURT Program Summer 2021
Jalen Crespo
CCNY Biology Student
CCNY-MSK Partnership PURT Program Summer 2021
Immediate Next Position: MD Student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Anna Lam
CCNY BME Student
Spring 2020 – Fall 2021
Immediate Next Position: Student at New York College of Podiatric Medicine
High School Students
Jason Zielenski
Valhalla High School 2026
Summer 2024 – Summer 2025
Jared Sonkin
Valhalla High School 2022
Summer 2020 – Summer 2022
Immediate Next Position: Undergraduate at Brown University