Meet the Suleiman Lab Team
Meet the Principal Investigator
Hani Suleiman, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Internal Medicine and Biomedical Engineering
Division of Nephrology
Lab Members
Karla Parra, Ph.D.
Research Scientist/Lab Manager
Karla is a dedicated researcher with a strong focus on in vivo work related to metastatic procedures. Outside the lab, Karla loves traveling and immersing herself in different cultures. She’s also a cooking enthusiast, and if you’re into horror films, she’s your go-to person for a good scary movie recommendation—she loves the thrill of a gripping story.
Shumeng Jiang Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Shumeng is a postdoctoral researcher with both engineering and biological backgrounds. His research focuses on understanding the mechanobiology of podocytes through mechanical manipulation, as well as investigating their cytoskeletal integrity in depth using techniques such as super-resolution imaging. Outside the lab, Shumeng is a travel enthusiast who enjoys exploring nature and historical sites.
Preksha Khatlawala
Research Associate
Preksha is a Research Associate with a background in cellular and molecular biology. “Outside of work, I love traveling and exploring new places whenever I get the chance. I also enjoy reading fiction novels, especially stories that let me escape into a different world for a while.”
Ewa Langner, Ph.D.
Instructor
Born and raised in Poland, Ewa completed her studies at the Maria-Curie Sklodowska University (M.Sc. in Biotechnology) and Medical University in Poland (Ph.D. in Health Science). She did her pot-doc at Washington University in St. Louis, ) at Moe Mahjoub’s Lab, partially supported by a scholarship from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). She investigated molecular alterations in renal ciliopathies including polycystic kidney disease (PKD). She focused on the consequences of defective centrosome biogenesis during kidney development and disease. She established and utilized super-resolution U-ExM expansion microscopy protocol specifically for kidney samples imaging. She recently joined UT Southwestern Nephrology Division as a junior faculty and is currently developing projects to understand how alterations in podocyte’s actin and microtubule cytoskeletal networks lead to proteinuria and glomerular injury. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling and developing healthy-baking recipes.
Michael Tu
Research Assistant
Michael is interested in discovering how glomerular diseases are affected by the actin filament network. Outside of lab, Michael enjoys bouldering and exploring Dallas. Michael has earned a B.S. in Toxicology and B.S. in Molecular Biology from University of California, Berkeley before joining the Suleiman Lab in October 2025.
Join Our Lab
If you're interested in joining our team, please reach out to learn more about open positions.