Lab members

Principal Investigator

Dr. Rahul Bhowmick, PhD, Assistant Professor

I received my PhD in virology from the University of Calcutta, India, in 2015. Following that, I pursued postdoctoral training in Ian Hickson’s lab at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and later in David Cortez’s lab at the Vanderbilt University. During my postdoctoral training, my focus was on understanding the molecular basis of genome instability in cancer. In July 2024, I joined the faculty of the Department of Biochemistry as an Assistant Professor.

 

Research Technician

Josie Gannon 

Hi! My name is Josie Gannon, and I am from Woodbury, TN. I did my undergraduate at Freed-Hardeman University, during which I obtained a B.A. in English and a B.S. in biology. I was involved in microbial genetics research as part of my undergraduate work. I joined Bhowmick lab in July 2024 and am interested in exploring the dynamic relation between transcription and replication.

 

 

Graduate Student

Ruthie Mulvaney (T32 Trainee, NIEHS Toxicology Training Program)

Hello, my name is Ruthie Mulvaney and I’m from Gallup, NM. I graduated from New Mexico Tech in 2024 with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences. During my undergraduate studies, I worked as a part time researcher for Dr. Praveen Patidar for 2.5 years, where I investigated the roles of various proteins in the preventing and resolving R-loops (DNA:RNA triple hybrid structures). I joined the IGP in 2024 and became a member of the Bhowmick lab in April 2025. My current research focuses on understanding how cells maintain genome stability. Outside of the lab you’ll usually find me reading a book, practicing an instrument, or exploring different parts of Nashville!

 

Postdoc

Dr. Deepika Jayaprakash, PhD

I am a trained Periodontist from India. I completed my PhD in 2024 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under the guidance of Dr. Cyrus Vaziri. My PhD research focused on defining novel mechanisms of DNA damage tolerance and repair pathways in response to intrinsic oncogene-induced and extrinsic therapeutic stresses in cancer. I will be joining Bhowmick lab in November 2024, where I excitedly look forward to delving deeply into molecular mechanisms of replication stress and stress tolerance.