Ashish Ranjan, B.V.Sc., Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Dr. Ranjan is an Endowed Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology. He also serves as Vice Chair for Comparative Oncology and Research Innovation and Director of the Veterinary Research and Oncology Clinic. He earned his B.V.Sc. degree (DVM equivalent) from Madras Veterinary College, in Chennai, India, followed by a Ph.D. in biomedical and veterinary sciences from Virginia Tech. Dr. Ranjan was then a visiting fellow at the Center for Interventional Oncology, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr. Ranjan's research interests are in the application of device-directed nanoparticles for solid tumor chemo-immunotherapy. His lab is actively engaged in preclinical and bench-to-bedside veterinary clinical trials and has received funding from several federal, state, and private sources. Dr. Ranjan has received several distinguished awards, including the NIH Merit Award. He also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Focused Ultrasound Foundation, UK's Humanimal Trust, and NIH panels.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Faraz Chamani, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Faraz Chamani earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Kansas State University in 2023. His research focused on in vitro measurement and mathematical modeling of hyperthermia-induced bioeffects in pancreatic cancer cells, contributing to the development of modeling tools for predictive treatment planning of thermal therapies and furthering understanding of the effects of energy-based interventions that involve perturbation of tissue temperature.
Dr. Chamani gained industry experience as a R&D radiofrequency engineer at Varian Medical Systems in Austin. During his one-year tenure, he expanded his technical engineering skills and computational modeling expertise, particularly in finite element analysis (FEA) in minimally invasive thermal ablation for cancer treatment. During this time, Dr. Chamani contributed to the development of a microwave thermal ablation system for the treatment of liver tumors.
With extensive research and industry experience in energy-based thermal ablation modalities, Dr. Chamani has published his work in peer-reviewed journals. Currently, as a postdoctoral researcher, his work focuses on optimizing high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) as a novel non-invasive therapeutic approach for cancer treatment. This includes both thermal ablation and non-thermal histotripsy techniques, with a particular emphasis on designing personalized treatment protocols for canine cancer patients.
Siva Dallavalasa, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Siva Dallavalasa is currently a postdoctoral researcher on an NIH-funded project under the supervision of Dr. Ashish Ranjan. In 2014, he completed his bachelor's degree in pharmacy at Acharya Nagarjuna University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guntur, followed by a master's degree in pharmacology at Andhra University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
His master's dissertation was done under the supervision of Dr. Nishanth Jain, Principal Scientist, Department of Applied Biology, CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; his doctoral studies were done under the supervision of Dr. MVSST SubbaRao and Dr. Ravindra P. Veeranna at JSS-AHER, JSS Medical College, Mysore, India. As a doctoral researcher, Dr. Dallavalasa worked on screening and identification of molecular and therapeutic benefits of anti-hyperglycemic drugs as anti-cancers, primarily on breast cancers.
Pratikshkumar Patel, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Patel is a postdoctoral fellow at UT Southwestern Medical Center specializing in nanomedicine and targeted drug delivery. He earned his Ph.D. from the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, India, where he developed his foundational expertise in advanced therapeutic systems. Prior to joining UT Southwestern, he served as a postdoctoral researcher scholar in the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina, expanding his research into translatable clinical applications. Dr. Patel's current work in UTSW's Department of Radiation Oncology focuses on designing innovative nanomedicine strategies to improve treatment efficacy and patient outcomes.
Ph.D. Students
Mina Kord Heydari, Ph.D. Student
Mina Kord Heydari is a Ph.D. student in the Cancer Biology Program. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food science and technology engineering from Golestan Institute of Higher Education, where she specialized in nanomedicine. Her master’s thesis centered on developing nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, highlighting her expertise in nanotechnology. Currently, Mina is integrating her engineering background with cancer biology to develop novel nanomedicine-based therapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing targeted cancer treatments and improving patient outcomes. She is passionate about advancing oncology through innovative research and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Sri Vidhya Chandrasekar, Ph.D. Student
Sri is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UT Southwestern. She graduated from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), Chennai, India, and holds a bachelor's degree in veterinary science and animal husbandry. Her research focuses on combining nanomedicine with therapeutic ultrasound to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapies targeting solid tumors.
Roy Garcia, Ph.D. Student
Roy is in the Cancer Biology program and MODTS track at UTSW and is an HHMI Gilliam Fellow. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a B.S. In biochemistry and molecular biology. He is extremely passionate about improving therapeutic options for late-stage cancer patients. His research focuses on the intersection of nanomedicine, tumor and immune cell metabolism, and structural biology to enhance immunotherapy efficacy in solid tumors. Furthermore, this work will also be explored in combination with existing therapies such as therapeutic ultrasound and radiation.
Jiaqi Liu, Ph.D. Student
Ray Pantoja, Ph.D. Student
Ray is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Engineering program at UT Southwestern. He graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in chemistry. His research focuses on developing nanotherapeutics to treat age-related and cancer cachexia-associated muscle sarcopenia.
Staff
Shanti Choudhary, Ph.D., Senior Researcher
Shanti Choudhary earned a Ph.D. in animal science from Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, India, and completed her research work at the Central Avian Research Institute, Bareilly. She did her Master of Science in biotechnology from Kumaun University, Nainital, India. Dr. Choudhary’s research career is versatile and interdisciplinary, including cell biology, molecular biology, biotechnology, infectious diseases, stem cell biology, metabolic diseases, and translational medicine.
Before joining Dr. Ranjan’s laboratory, Dr. Choudhary was a Research Assistant at the Centre for Translational Research and Education (CTRE), Loyola University Chicago (Jan – Aug 2025). Her recent work at Loyola was focused on exploring the mechanism for gut immunity and sepsis-induced multi-organ failure.
Before this, Dr. Choudhary was engaged in teaching and extensive research activities for four years (2020-2024) at the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Punjab, India, where she taught various courses in animal biotechnology to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Dr. Choudhary is also associated with the development and evaluation of the therapeutic potential of canine stem cells and their secretome in wound healing. She was also involved in the development of TaqMan/qPCR-based early and sensitive diagnostics for the African swine fever virus. She served as CEO of a startup company exploring the development of cell-based natural therapeutics and regenerative medicine for two years.
Alex Brennan, Senior Research Associate
