Our team.

join us!

We are always looking for talented and excited members to join the lab, please check out available positions​.

Meet Our Team

Dr. Eva-Maria Strauch

Principal Investigator
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I am fascinated by the molecular creativity viruses use to recognize, enter and hijack cells. My mission is to understand and inhibit these molecular processes by combining tools of computational and experimental methods - with the goal to develop new avenues for diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. 
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Dr. Amruta Narayanappa

Research Professional

I am working on recombinant protein technology, antiviral therapies, and vaccination against Influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 using bacterial, yeast and mammalian cell cultures and novel assay methodologies

Dr. Raulia Syrlybaeva

Postdoctoral Fellow

My main research interests lie in computational chemistry. Currently, I am focused on the uses of machine learning in protein design problems. Besides, I participate in a project aiming to provide deeper insights into patterns of structural diversity of influenza virus hemagglutinin.

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Karen Juliana Gonzalez Restrepo

Graduate Student, Bioinformatics

I am a Ph.D. student in bioinformatics at the University of Georgia. My main focus is the study of viral surface proteins from a multi-state approach. Specifically, I am interested in understanding how the stability of these proteins contribute to infectivity and how this relationship can be used for vaccine development.

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Qingfa Hou

Graduate Student, PBS

M H M Mumbassir

Graduate student (PBS)

​My research focus is vaccine design/protein design using both computational and experimental approaches. Currently, I am working on the stability of viral membrane fusion proteins.

Je Hoon Michael Oh

Graduate student (PBS)

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Laiba Urooj

Graduate student, infectious diseases

Ryan Patrick Ward
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Graduate student, DoubleDawg Engineering/PBS

Ho Suk Lee

Graduate student (PBS)

I have a background in reverse genetics and mammalian cell culture. I am currently working on new methods for developing influenza vaccines.  

Hope Nestlehutt

Research Technician

Kevin Qiu (Biochem)

Undergraduate Researcher

I am an undergraduate student in biochemistry at the University of Georgia. Mainly, I am interested in learning about how new diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics are developed from proteins and how computational methods can be used to aid in this process.
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​Alumni

2022 Manikandran Mohan (postdoc), now at Emory
2020 Ehsan Suez(ILS rotation student, UGA)
2020 Brittaney Dorsey(ILS rotation student, UGA)
2020 Shoufeng Xu(ILS rotation student, UGA) 
2020 Patrick Huyck (Bioinformatics rotation student, UGA)
2020 Yi Lei, Ph.D. (research technician)
2019-2020 Isaac Torres (Bioinformatics, graduate student, UGA)
2019 Kyle Noble, Ph.D. (research technician) 
2019 Abby Moore (ILS rotation student, UGA)
2019 Mark Philips (ILS rotation student, UGA)
Spring 2019 Jayant Parashar (graduate researcher, C. S)
2018 - 2019 Rhythm Shah, Ph.D. (research technician)
2018 Jiachen Huang (ILS rotation student, UGA)
​2018 Noah Legall (ILS rotation student, UGA)
2017 - 2018   Rachel Crow (undergraduate researcher, Microbiology, UW)
2017 - 2018 Cooper James (undergraduate researcher, Microbiology, UW)
2017 - 2018   Luana Paleologu (undergraduate researcher, Microbiology, UW)
2017   Luis Gomez-Castillo (undergraduate researcher, Microbiology, UW)