Meet the Principle Investigator
Stanislaw Deja, Ph.D.
Dr. Stanislaw Deja is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Human Nutrition at UTSW. He received Ph.D. in Chemistry from Opole University under supervision of Dr. Piotr Mlynarz, where he successfully developed the first nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-based metabolomics platforms in Poland.
In 2014, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Shawn Burgess at UTSW as a postdoctoral fellow where he developed several stable isotope tracing approaches to quantify metabolic fluxes of TCA cycle, gluconeogenesis, ketogenesis and de novo lipogenesis in the liver. His discoveries contributed to our understanding of how pyruvate anaplerosis is controlled and how it interacts with other pathways in liver.
After obtaining Career Development Award K01 from NIH in 2022, Dr. Deja moved to an independent position and established his lab at UTSW in 2024. His lab is focused on the development of novel fluxomic approaches and using them to better understand control of metabolism in vivo, specifically in the fields of obesity, diabetes, exercise physiology and central nervous sysetm control of metabolism.
Outside of the lab, Dr. Deja enjoys being the father of Alicja and Artur and husband to outstandingly supportive wife Kasia. Dr. Deja is a lifelong martial arts enthusiast training TaeKwon-Do and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in his free time.
Current Lab Members
Natalia Pudelko-Malik, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Natalia completed her PhD in 2025 at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology where she focused on metabolic changes in neurons and their interaction with astrocytes during physiological aging, with particular emphasis on glycogen metabolism. Natalia joined Deja Lab in 2025 as a postdoctoral researcher, and concentrates on the role of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of autonomic nervous system in regulating hepatic glucose metabolism.
Outside the lab, Natalia is passionate about horse riding and mountain climbing, and is also a proud and enthusiastic owner of a one-year-old Border Collie.
Mateusz Fydryszewski
BioLAB Fulbright Scholar
Mateusz obtained his bachelor's degree from Wroclaw University and joined Deja Lab in 2025 for a one-year long research traineeships as a BioLAB student. Mateusz works on development and validation of precision-cut tissue slices (PCTS) for ex vivo metabolic studies.
Jeeva Rajendran
Research Technician
Jeeva joined Deja Lab in 2025. He obtained his bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from University of North Texas. Jeeva conducts analytical chemistry sample preparation for mass spectrometry, performs animal experiments and oversees the animal colony in Deja Laboratory.
Alumni
Frédéric Bégin
Visiting Graduate Student (May - September, 2025)
Frédéric completed his 4-months training in Deja Lab while being a PhD student at Laval University in Canada. He conducted 13C and 15N stable isotope tracing experiments focused on metabolic effects of different protein sources.
Currently, Frédéric is completing his PhD thesis at Laval University in Canada.
Dyanne Condormango
UTSW STARS Summer Research Program Student (June - August, 2025)
Dyanne worked on fight or flight induced regulation of glucose metabolism during exercise. She preformed treadmill training in mice. Using ex vivo liver perfusions she helped to measure and calculate the gluconeogenic flux in the liver of alpha-1b adrenergic receptor knockout mice. Outside of the lab Dyanne enjoy baking, playing volleyball, and scrapbooking.
Currently, Dyanne is preparing to start her College education at Columbia University.
Adam Zelis
UTSW NORC Summer Intern Student (June - August, 2025)
Adam participated in ex vivo liver perfusion experiments where we tested the effect of catecholamines such as norepinephrine on liver metabolism in presence or absence of α1b adrenergic receptor. Adam was essential in these experiments as he performed perfusate preparations, monitored the system during the experiment and even conducted troubleshooting of the flow-through optical oxygen sensors.
Currently, Adam is preparing to start his College education.
Associate Lab members:
Team Oscellate
Team Oscellate consist of six students working with Dr. Deja over the period of six months (June - December 2025) on building a prototype of “Specialized Tissue Culture Incubator Shaker” for precision cut tissue slice applications.
This project is part of pioneering program "UTDesign Senior Capstone" course in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at UT Dallas.
Asad Daruwala
Asad Daruwala is a passionate automotive engineer planning on becoming industry full time engineer.
Manogna Jonnalagadda
Manogna Jonnalagadda is a senior in Biomedical Engineering with a strong passion for scientific discovery and community service.
Aidan Larson
Aidan Larson is a detail-oriented Mechanical Engineering student planning on becoming a full-time employee in either the energy or automotive industry.
Sasha Lule
Sasha Lule is a senior biomedical engineering student at the University of Texas at Dallas. After completing her undergraduate studies, Sasha plans to go to graduate school focusing on devices and technology that help with early detection of diseases.
Christian Muller
Christian Muller is a dedicated and hard-working Mechanical Engineering student. After graduating, he plans to pursue a full-time engineering career.
Elijah Troxell
Motivated and determined Mechanical Engineering student. Dedicated to ensuring successful outcomes utilizing diligent work ethic, interpersonal skills, and positive team collaboration.
