Wendolyn Arellano
Lab Technical Assistant I
I grew up in Dallas and studied biology at Texas Wesleyan University. I make sure the the lab is well kept for everyone: keeping tabs on inventory, making sure things are stocked, delivering packages promptly, autoclaving biohazardous items and much more! I enjoy learning new things! A new day means a new chance to grow.
Sushobhna Batra, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Raised in Delhi, India, I came to the U.S. for my studies, graduating from SUNY Buffalo with a B.S. in biochemistry and biology and a minor in pharmacology and toxicology. As the only immunology student in the Diamond lab, I focus on the role of the immune system in tauopathies, studying cellular tau entry and transfer of tau aggregates between astroglia cells, as well as identifying the proteins that play a part in the aggregation and release of tau. I enjoy sketching, stand-up comedy, and nephology.
Sherry Clark
Research Assistant II
I received my bachelor of science in 1999 from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia. My career began at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, followed by the University of Louisville in Kentucky, and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. I recently earned certification as an assistant laboratory animal technician (ALAT). I am an avid local tourist and I dote on my fur-baby, Dolche, a Chihuahua/terrier mix.
Dana Dodd, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
I received my B.A. in biochemistry and molecular biology at UC Santa Cruz and my Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from Stanford, where I studied poliovirus proteins. For my postdoc, I worked at the University of Zurich, investigating the neurite inhibitor Nogo-A. I then moved to UTSW’s Microbiology Department, where I discovered how a bacterial protein inhibits phagocytosis. Now, in the Diamond lab, I employ CRISPR-Cas9 screens to find proteins involved in tau seeding and propagation.
Sandi Jo Estill-Terpack
Lab Manager
I grew up around Dallas, and earned a B.S. in genetics from Texas A&M. I then joined UTSW's Department of Biochemistry, where I helped plan, perform, and oversee various animal studies, including discovery of the neuroprotective drug P7C3. In the Diamond lab, I assist in studies of tau protein’s physiology and pathology in mouse models. I am a total science nerd, sci-fi geek, steampunk enthusiast, and painter; if I am not devouring a new book, I'll have a paintbrush in hand working on my next masterpiece.
Courtney Gamble
Lab Inventory Coordinator
I am from Dallas, born and raised, where everything is bigger in Texas. I joined UTSW in 2015 as an animal care attendant, earning three PACT cards recognizing my dedication and hard work. I was promoted to a junior animal technician in March 2016 and completed the assistant laboratory animal technician certification (ALAT) in animal husbandry. I joined the Diamond lab in June 2017 as a Lab Technician Assistant II. I am working towards achieving my goals for the future, as well as getting to know each individual lab member.
Haris Girish, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Research Scientist
I am from Chennai, India, where I earned my doctorate in veterinary medicine at Madras Veterinary College. After working as a veterinarian, I earned my master’s and doctoral degrees in animal genetics at MVC. As a postdoctoral associate at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, I studied the effects of gut microbiome on lactation in mice. I recently joined the Diamond lab, and currently support the ongoing research.
Ankit Gupta, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Raised in Rajasthan, India, I earned my master's degree in microbiology from Nirma University, Ahmedabad, and my Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal. In the Diamond lab, my research interest is generating novel reagents — nanobodies, single-chain antibodies, and antibodies — that can distinguish pathogenic and non-pathogenic conformations of tau protein and can bind to pathogenic strains of tau. I am also developing early diagnostic tools to characterize various pathogenic protein aggregates.
Hesan Jelodari Mamaghani, M.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
I was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and earned my medical degree at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. In the Diamond lab, I study immunological clearance of tau and other self-aggregating proteins. When not in the lab, I’m either traveling the world or studying a new language.
Devin Keely
Research Assistant I
Born in Oklahoma City and raised in Northwest Arkansas, I came back to Oklahoma City to achieve my BS in Biomedical Sciences while working with the Chemistry Department at University of Central Oklahoma. I moved to DFW to pursue my career in biology. I began at the Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases working under Dr. Yu investigating TDP-43 using cell and molecular biology techniques. In the Diamond Lab, I am employing biochemistry techniques to assist in generating novel nanobodies to distinguish and bind to pathogenic tau. I love to spend my spare time enjoying nature or nerding out with friends playing board games.
Krishanna Knight
Research Technician II
A Dallas native, I am working on my associate’s degree in veterinary technology at Cedar Valley College. I joined UT Southwestern as an animal tech, and in August 2019 joined the Diamond/ Bailey labs. I will soon complete my certification as an laboratory animal technician. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter, having family get-togethers, traveling, and having fun!
Peter Kunach, M.Sc.
Research Assistant I
A native of Toronto, I earned my bachelor’s in pharmacology from McGill University. I am pursuing my doctorate at McGill, using PET imaging to characterize tau aggregation. In the Diamond lab, I employ biochemical techniques to determine how PET radiopharmaceuticals bind to tau. When asked how I spend my free time, I laugh at the notion of “free time.”
Richard Liu
Research Technician I
I was born and raised in the Dallas area and have lived here all of my life. While studying at UT Dallas, I worked in the Diamond lab as a Green Fellow generating tau-binding nanobodies. I recently graduated from UT Dallas with a BS in Biomedical Engineering, and am returning to the CAND to continue working with nanobodies, specifically on improving the screening process to isolate better targets for various proteinpathies. Outside of the lab, I enjoy playing piano, playing video games, and watching NBA basketball.
Sayanta Mahapatra, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
I am born and raised in Medinipur, West Bengal, India, and earned my Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali by investigating both canonical and small chemical chaperones that can control the amyloid colonization. Here at Diamond Lab, I aim to shed light on some of the mysteries on the complex strucuture-phenotype relationship of amyloids. Outside the lab, I enjoy listening to music of diverse genre and languages.
Josh Menard
Research Technician II
I earned my bachelor's in biology at UT Dallas. In the Diamond lab, I assist researchers with various tasks and make sure experiments are carried out efficiently. I enjoy tabletop gaming, writing, and brewing mead in my spare time.
Maikke Ohlson, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
I earned my bachelor’s in medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and my doctorate in microbiology at the University of Washington. After completing postdoctoral research at Stanford, I worked at Genentech investigating infectious disease biomarkers. I started at UTSW in the Department of Microbiology, studying virus-host interactions. In the Diamond lab, I am using cells and in vitro techniques to develop reagents that can distinguish pathogenic and non-pathogenic conformations of the amyloidogenic protein IAPP involved in Type 2 diabetes.
Ayde Mendoza, Ph.D., M.S.
Instructor
I grew up in Hidalgo, Mexico, and earned my B.S. degree in biomedical research, and my M.S. and Ph.D. in biochemistry, at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In the Diamond lab, I study the relationship between the conformational diversity of tau protein aggregates and other amyloid proteins present in neurodegenerative diseases. We think that co-existence of a specific tau strain with certain states of associated proteins could define the neuropathology and clinical symptoms of neurodegenerative disease.
Abhishek Sadhu, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
I am born and raised in Kolkata (aka. Calcutta), India, a 'Bangali' like Rabindranath Tagore, Amratya Sen, and Abhijit Banerjee. I earned by PhD in Nanotoxicology from the University of Calcutta, India. In the Diamond lab, I study tau interactome hoping to discover novel and potent targets to tackle neurological diseases. Outside the lab, I like traveling to new places and connecting with new people.
Nil Saez Calveras, M.D.
Neurology Resident, Research Track
I was born and raised in Spain and received my medical degree from the University of Barcelona. During medical school, I also worked as a research intern at the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease in Boston under the mentorship of Dr. Teresa Gomez-Isla. After graduating, I moved to Dallas to start my adult neurology residency training. In the Diamond lab, I work on developing methods to profile tau folds in tauopathies, as well as engineering immune cell therapy approaches against pathogenic tau. Outside the lab, I enjoy playing acoustic guitar and soccer.
Andrea Shiakolas, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
I am from Dallas, Texas, and I received my B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. After graduation, I worked at the Vaccine Research Center at the NIH in Dr. John Mascola's group studying the co-evolution of antibody and virus responses in the context of HIV. Then, I returned to Nashville to pursue my graduate studies in Dr. Ivelin Georgiev's laboratory as part of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center. While there, I worked on the development of a high throughput antibody discovery technology called LIBRA-seq (Linking B cell receptor to antigen specificity through sequencing), and I applied LIBRA-seq to discover and characterize novel neutralizing antibodies to various pathogens, including HIV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2. I joined the Diamond laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher and am interested in the discovery, characterization, and design of antibodies and nanobodies to neurodegenerative diseases.
Yogesh Tak, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
I am from Rajasthan, India, and earned my bachelor’s degree in life sciences from Maharaja College, University of Rajasthan. I then earned my master's degree in plant sciences from Delhi University and a Ph.D. from Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research in Bhopal, where I worked on to identifying and characterizing amyloid and amorphous remodeling chaperones in yeast and plants. In the Diamond lab, I will identify and characterize tau co-factors with a role in generating seed competent forms of tau and its conformational diversity. In my free time, I enjoy playing flute and travel photography.
Skyler Taylor
Lab Technical Assistant I
A Dallas native, I earned my bachelor's in biology at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. In the Diamond and Shahmoradian lab, I generate human cortical neurons and microglia from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that are used for studying the early stages of protein aggregation.
Clarissa Valdez, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
I am from Chicago, and received my B.A. in molecular biology from Pomona College. I then earned my Ph.D. in neuroscience from Northwestern University. While there, I worked with Dr. Dimitri Krainc to study whether reduced progranulin expression due to PGRN mutations in frontemporal dementia causes lysosomal dysfunction. I joined the Diamond lab as a D-SPAN postdoctoral scholar to investigate mechanisms of tau aggregation and propagation in iPSC-derived neurons.
Jaime Vaquer-Alicea, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
I earned my bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, where I studied neurodegenerative diseases under Dr. Irving Vega (now at Michigan State University). I am currently interested in developing tools to characterize amyloid structures, to understand the relationship between the conformational diversity of tau protein aggregates and the various tauopathy syndromes.